NEW YORK (Court TV) — Luigi Mangione admitted he gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in federal court on Friday — and said he did so because he felt the healthcare industry failed him.
Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for an evidence hearing, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in New York. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)
Mangione, 28, pleaded guilty to stalking-related charges in federal court on Friday, admitting responsibility for shooting the insurance executive outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4, 2024. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said after the hearing that Mangione changed his plea without a deal from prosecutors in place and faces a life sentence.
Appearing in court without handcuffs and in a khaki jumpsuit, Mangione sat with his attorneys as he read from a script and admitted to shooting the victim. Mangione said that he had suffered years of back pain that left him frustrated with the entire healthcare system. He knew that UnitedHealthcare was hosting an investor conference in New York City, and admitted to posing as an investor with $50 billion in capital to get information on where the meeting would be held. Mangione quipped in his statement that he got a response about the investment meeting faster than he ever got a response to an insurance claim.
“Luigi Mangione stalked and murdered Brian Thompson in cold blood on a public sidewalk in midtown Manhattan,” McDonald said, adding that the defendant used a 9 mm handgun equipped with a silencer to shoot Thompson twice. “This was not a spontaneous act of violence. It was deliberate, calculated and premeditated. In the days leading up to the murder, the defendant very carefully prepared for the attack. He tracked Mr. Thompson’s whereabouts, conducted surveillance along the route he knew Mr. Thompson would take and positioned himself to carry out the plan.”
Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said after the hearing that because her client had “accepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson” in federal court, New York should now be procedurally barred from pursuing murder charges against him at the state level. “Despite this being a single, isolated event, Mr. Mangione has been unfairly treated since the outset in every way and has successfully fought off terrorism charges and the death penalty, while also fighting at the same time two simultaneous prosecutions in two jurisdictions who are trying to punish him twice for the exact [same] conduct.”
Agnifilo announced that she had already filed a motion seeking to dismiss the state-level charges on double jeopardy grounds. Anticipating that issue, New York state prosecutor Joel Seidemann asked the federal court in a letter, “If a proposed guilty plea would operate to defeat a just outcome in the state prosecution, the People could advise the federal district court of that consequence, and the court should consider that fact in deciding whether to accept the plea.”
In a statement following Friday’s hearing, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said, “Since December 2024, the Manhattan D.A.’s Office has been tirelessly preparing to pursue a trial conviction in New York State Supreme Court for the alleged cold-blooded murder of Brian Thompson. We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson’s family received a measure of accountability today. While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions.”
Thompson’s family was present in the courtroom for Mangione’s plea. The Thompson family also released a statement, saying, “Today’s guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and our family. While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable. Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime. We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves.”
Mangione had initially faced a murder charge and a potential death sentence in his federal case, but the judge dismissed the murder charge, finding it was technically flawed. Without the murder charge, Mangione was no longer eligible for the death penalty.
Mangione is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Sept. 18.
