Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing insurance CEO
Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York City, US, August 11, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking the executive with the intent to kill him.
"I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," Mangione said.
The guilty plea will avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans' frustration with health insurance industry practices. It could also allow him to seek dismissal of state murder charges and avoid an upcoming trial in that case.
Read: Luigi Mangione murder case takes turn after judge’s evidence ruling
US District Judge Margaret Garnett told Mangione that if he pleaded guilty, he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison on each count. Garnett set Mangione's sentencing for December 18.
Jamie McDonald, the Manhattan US Attorney, told reporters that his office would seek a sentence of life imprisonment.
Mangione says he suffered broken back
Thompson led UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit before he was shot dead in the early morning of December 4, 2024, outside a hotel where an investor conference was taking place. Thompson's widow sat in the front row of the gallery with other members of his family.
Mangione, 28, said in court that he researched details of UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference after suffering a broken back and navigating the health insurance system.
He said he then used a 3-D printer to make part of a gun and traveled to New York with the intent of killing Thompson.
Thompson's family said in a statement that the plea marked an "important step toward justice".
"We look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime," Thompson's family said.
No possibility of death penalty
Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt for a suspect made the case a media fixture and social media sensation. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
He had previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.