Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing insurance CEO

Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson, also entering guilty pleas on two federal stalking counts alleging he pursued the executive intending to kill him.

The guilty plea will avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, a killing that has become emblematic of public frustration with health insurance practices, and could let him seek dismissal of the state murder charges.

"I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," he said.

US District Judge Margaret Garnett said each count carries a maximum of life in prison and set sentencing for December 18. Manhattan US Attorney Jamie McDonald said his office would seek life imprisonment. Defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said no plea agreement had been reached.

Thompson's family called the plea an "important step toward justice" and said: "We look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime."

Mangione, 28, said he researched the conference after a broken back, used a 3-D printer to make part of a gun, and traveled to New York intending to kill Thompson. He had pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons, and stalking charges.