Luigi Mangione hearing fuels speculation of a guilty plea in federal case

Luigi Mangione, 28, has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges after admitting to shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan in December 2024. According to Investing.com, in court, Mangione stated, "I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died." He also told the judge that he was driven to kill Thompson because of his experience with the healthcare system as a patient with a back injury.

Mangione's guilty plea was made in a federal courtroom in New York, where Thompson's family, including his widow, were present. The BBC News reported that the hearing was attended by a crowd of press, supporters of Mangione, observers, and court staff members.

The guilty plea will avert a federal trial, and US District Judge Margaret Garnett has scheduled sentencing for December 18. Mangione could face a maximum sentence of life in prison on each count. After the plea, Mangione's lawyer filed a motion to dismiss separate state murder charges, arguing that he should not have to be punished for the same conduct twice under New York's law prohibiting double jeopardy.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, BBC News, CBS News, Investing.com, Adom Online — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.