Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking charges connected to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, marking a major development in one of the nation’s most closely watched criminal cases.
During the August 14 hearing in Manhattan federal court, Mangione admitted that he traveled to New York with the intent to kill Thompson and acknowledged shooting the health insurance executive. The federal case against Mangione had already been significantly narrowed after a judge dismissed federal murder and firearms charges that could have exposed him to the death penalty.
Mangione’s guilty plea means he will avoid a federal trial on the remaining stalking counts, but he still faces the possibility of life in prison. His federal sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2026.
The plea does not end Mangione’s legal battle. He still faces a separate second-degree murder charge in New York state court in connection with Thompson’s December 4, 2024, shooting death. Two terrorism-related murder charges in the state case were previously dismissed, but the second-degree murder prosecution remains active, with trial currently scheduled for September 8, 2026.
Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel while walking to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. The killing and Mangione’s arrest sparked national debate about violence, criminal justice and growing public frustration with the U.S. health insurance system. Mangione’s guilty plea resolves the federal stalking case, but the state murder case could determine whether he faces additional punishment.
