UnitedHealthcare CEO Killer Pleads Guilty to Federal Stalking Charges

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges in connection with the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione admitted to tracking the executive to an investor conference in New York in 2024 and then shooting him on a city street.

Mangione, 28, stated he used a ruse to obtain information about the event, contacting the health insurer under the pretense of being an investor from a multibillion-dollar firm.

"On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," Mangione told the court. Thompson's wife was present during the hearing, and his lawyers are seeking to have the separate New York state murder charges dismissed on double jeopardy grounds.

Mangione is scheduled for sentencing on December 18. The federal case addresses stalking charges, while the New York state charges concern murder. Mangione's defense attorneys are attempting to get the state murder charges invalidated based on the principle of double jeopardy.

Mangione has told the court that he pursued Thompson "after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back and navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system." According to authorities, Mangione's writings criticized health insurers as greedy, making the case a focal point for debate about the industry.