Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to killing UnitedHealthcare CEO
A New York court heard on Friday that Luigi Mangione fatally shot Brian Thompson, chief executive of UnitedHealthcare’s insurance unit, and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges that carried a possible life…
Source: South China Morning Post · August 14, 2026 at 5:55 PM · AI-assisted report
Single-sourceKUALA LUMPUR, 15 AUGUST 2026 —
A New York court heard on Friday that Luigi Mangione fatally shot Brian Thompson, chief executive of UnitedHealthcare’s insurance unit, and pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges that carried a possible life sentence.
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Mangione admitted in open court that he researched UnitedHealthcare’s investor conference, used a 3D printer to make part of the weapon, and travelled to Manhattan with the intent to kill Mr Thompson, who was shot dead outside a hotel on December 4, 2024.
US District Judge Margaret Garnett told Mangione a guilty plea on two counts of stalking with intent to kill exposed him to a maximum of life imprisonment on each charge. Garnett set sentencing for December 18. Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said prosecutors would seek life imprisonment.
Thompson’s widow and other relatives sat in the front row of the courtroom as Mangione read a statement confirming he killed Mr Thompson. “I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” he said. The plea averts a federal trial in a case that became a social media sensation after graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt.
Mangione had originally pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges. In January 2026, Garnett dismissed the murder and weapons counts on procedural grounds, removing the risk of a death sentence in the federal case. Separately, Mangione pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to state charges of terrorism, murder and forgery; the terrorism count was dismissed in September 2025.
A state trial on remaining counts is scheduled for September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro.
If convicted of second-degree murder in state court, Mangione faces 25 years to life. His lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said she had filed a motion to dismiss the murder charge under New York’s double jeopardy law. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office could oppose the motion, arguing the murder charge is legally distinct from the federal counts, and did not reply immediately to a request for comment.
Whoever loses the double jeopardy argument is expected to seek an emergency appeal.