RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The plea resolves the remaining federal charges tied to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and could affect a separate New York state case.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ir6q Advertisement Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in a Manhattan federal court to stalking charges tied to the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson .
"I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died," he told the court.
Prosecutors said Mangione traveled to New York City and fatally shot Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024, as he walked to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference.
The judge has accepted his guilty plea and said sentencing would take place in December. Mangione faces a possible sentence of life without parole on the two counts of stalking.
Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty to federal murder, weapons and stalking charges. Earlier this year, the judge dismissed the murder and weapons counts on legal technicalities, leaving only the stalking charges and eliminating the possibility of the death penalty.
Mangione still seperately faces murder, weapons and forgery charges in New York state court.
Outside federal court, Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, told reporters that "state charges must be dismissed under New York's double jeopardy protections."
Under double jeopardy protections, defendants are protected from being prosecuted for the same crime twice.
Mangione told the federal court he pursued Thompson "after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back and navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system."
Thompson was chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, one of the largest health insurers in the United States .
He was walking into a Midtown Manhattan hotel for the annual investor day when he was shot three times in the back.
Mangione said he then used a 3D printer to make part of the gun used in the shooting.
The killing underscored widespread frustration with the US healthcare system, and some supporters portrayed Mangione as a hero.
Conservatives, including President Donald Trump, however, have called for a tough punishment.
Jamie McDonald, the Manhattan US attorney, told reporters that his office would seek a sentence of life imprisonment.
"There can be no celebrity in assassination," he said.
Outside the courthouse, a man shouted "America loves Luigi" at relatives of Thompson as they left court Friday in a convoy of black SUVs.
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," the family said.
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