Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday, August 14, 2026, in federal court in Manhattan to two federal stalking charges connected to the December 4, 2024, killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. US District Judge Margaret Garnett accepted the plea after a hastily scheduled, 45-minute hearing and set sentencing for December 18, 2026, while the fate of a separate state murder case against Mangione remained unresolved.
I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died.
Mangione made that admission near the end of the hearing, adding, "I knew what I was doing was illegal," though he did not say that what he did was wrong or express any regret. He told the court that after "years of enduring severe back pain, a broken back, [and] navigating the obstacles of the health system," he learned UnitedHealthcare would hold its annual investor conference in December 2024. He said he traveled to New York City, emailed UnitedHealthcare leadership posing as an institutional investor to obtain more information, and received a response within an hour. He also researched who would be attending the conference before printing a firearm with a 3-D printer and affixing it with a silencer. Reading further from his statement, Mangione told the court, "I emailed UnitedHealthcare with the intent to shoot Brian Thompson," and added, "On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024 I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back."
When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.
Mangione, 28 and originally from Maryland, appeared in court in beige jail scrubs with his wrists and ankles shackled, a change from earlier appearances in a jacket and shirt, having been brought to the Manhattan courthouse from custody in Brooklyn. He appeared solemn and serious throughout the hearing. Brian Thompson's mother, widow Paulette Thompson, and other family members sat in the front row, with several beginning to cry as Mangione described shooting Thompson on a busy city sidewalk; Paulette Thompson was reportedly breathing heavily and grasping a loved one's arm during the account. Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was shot from behind as he walked into a Midtown Manhattan hotel ahead of the investor conference. Mangione's own family members were not present, consistent with earlier expectations reported by CNN. Federal prosecutor Jamie McDonald told the court the government would seek life imprisonment for Mangione, and defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo confirmed she had filed a motion to dismiss the separate state murder case within minutes of the plea.
Following the hearing, Thompson's family issued a statement describing the plea as "an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family." The family added that "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," and said, "now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime." The family also said they intend to continue seeking justice through both the New York state case and proceedings in Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested.
What led to the plea deal speculation?
Attorneys for Mangione had been scheduled to meet federal prosecutors on Friday amid days of US media reports of a possible plea agreement, though it had not been made clear beforehand which charges were being discussed. ABC7 New York had reported that no plea bargain had actually been struck with federal prosecutors and that Mangione could still face life in prison, while ABC News had cautioned that the expected plea was not final and could still fall apart before or during the hearing. As of August 13 reporting, according to a regional affiliate report, the precise terms of any plea had not been publicly disclosed. Jamie McDonald, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, had confirmed only that the meeting would take place, offering no further detail.
There's a conference scheduled for 11 am on Friday, and that's all we can say at this time.
According to CNN, federal prosecutors and Mangione's defense team had already discussed a possible plea deal weeks earlier, though no agreement was reached at that time. Separately, NBC New York had reported that an agreement appeared close earlier in the week before falling apart, and that the defense had withdrawn its earlier notice that it intended to pursue an "extreme emotional disturbance" defense. According to Fox News, the joint request for Friday's conference was made in a two-sentence letter that did not state its purpose, and it followed a final pre-trial conference in the state case hours earlier. A report from the Washington Examiner confirmed the conference had been jointly requested by prosecutors and the defense for 11:00 a.m. on August 14, 2026, while Bloomberg had reported that Mangione's lawyers were in discussions over a possible guilty plea to resolve the federal charges. A report from a national newspaper's report similarly noted that the joint request had fueled plea speculation earlier in the week. Outside the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse at 40 Foley Square, crowds of media and supporters had gathered ahead of the hearing, with some reportedly acting as paid line sitters overnight, though almost none of Mangione's most vocal supporters were present on the day itself, in contrast to previous hearings.
How does this affect the state murder case?
Federal prosecutors had brought the stalking charges against Mangione over allegations he traveled to New York and used surveillance to carry out the killing of Thompson. Under the plea, according to Time, Mangione admitted to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death, each of which carries a possible life sentence, a description also confirmed by Al Jazeera. In a separate account of the hearing, a wire service report said Judge Garnett explicitly warned Mangione that each of the two counts carried a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, per that wire service report. In the separate state case, Manhattan prosecutors have charged Mangione with eight counts, including second-degree murder, criminal possession of a forged instrument over an alleged fake driver's license, and six counts of criminal possession of a weapon; his state trial had been scheduled for September 8, 2026, and he had previously pleaded not guilty in both proceedings.
Mangione's attorneys have long argued he should not face prosecution in both state and federal court simultaneously, and following Friday's plea, Karen Friedman Agnifilo moved to dismiss the state murder case altogether. On the courthouse steps afterward, Friedman Agnifilo argued that the state case now runs afoul of double jeopardy protections, saying, "New York law does not permit a person to be prosecuted and punished twice for the exact same crime." She also said that by pleading guilty in federal court, Mangione had accepted "full responsibility" for Thompson's death. Under New York state law, a person may not be twice prosecuted for the same offense, nor separately prosecuted for two offenses based on the same act or criminal transaction — though a state appeals court decision has held that these protections are subject to a list of statutory exceptions. According to NPR, the guilty plea leaves the fate of the state murder trial uncertain, and a separate judge is expected to decide whether that case proceeds. Mitchell Epner, a white-collar defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, had earlier offered the following assessment of the legal landscape.
If a federal prosecution has been completed on a matter, the state cannot prosecute the matter on those same facts.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office, however, indicated it intends to keep pursuing the state case, saying in a statement, "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 defence motions. The Manhattan DA's Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr Thompson and his family." According to Fox News, Manhattan prosecutors had told a judge in July 2026 that if a federal guilty plea would "defeat a just outcome" in the state case, they could alert the federal court, and that the court should factor that in when deciding whether to accept any plea. In a letter last month, Manhattan assistant district attorney Joel Seidemann similarly objected to the possibility that a federal guilty plea could wipe out the state case.
Obviously, any guilty pleas in these matters must account for the seriousness of defendant's offenses, the loss of an innocent life, the impact of those crimes on the victim's family, and the other state interests that are implicated, including the sanctity of life principle that underpins the state homicide charges.
What would a guilty plea look like in court?
Before Friday's hearing, Seth Zuckerman, a former New York prosecutor, had said that if Mangione were to enter a guilty plea, the proceeding would begin with both sides notifying Judge Garnett that a plea was going forward, followed by an allocution in which Mangione would admit to his guilt and wrongdoing, after which the judge would set a sentencing date. That is broadly what unfolded on Friday, with Garnett confirming Mangione was in a fit state to plead before accepting his admissions and setting sentencing for December 18, 2026. Zuckerman had also noted that a guilty plea would not immediately conclude the federal case, since federal sentencings are typically scheduled several months after the plea date, a pattern reflected in the four-month gap before Mangione's sentencing.
What background led to this point?
The federal trial had previously been scheduled for January 2027 specifically to avoid conflicting with the state proceeding, which involves more complex psychiatric evidence, according to a wire service report. Mangione's defense had indicated it would pursue a psychiatric defense citing extreme emotional disturbance in the state trial, a notice that was withdrawn amid the recent plea negotiations. A judge had also ordered an anonymous jury and an overflow media room for the state trial, with jury selection due to begin September 8, 2026. The federal plea comes after months of separate state and federal proceedings over Thompson's killing, according to live coverage from the New York Times.
Mangione was arrested in December 2024 following a five-day, multi-state manhunt after Thompson was shot outside a Manhattan hotel where the executive was walking to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference. He was taken into custody at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police recovered a notebook that prosecutors said contained a purported manifesto, along with a firearm authorities allege was the murder weapon. Surveillance video of the killing showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind, and police said the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" — mimicking a phrase describing how insurers avoid paying claims — were found written on the ammunition. Mangione pleaded not guilty to federal charges of stalking and murder in April 2025, according to the New York Times, which had also reported that federal prosecutors filed notice that year of their intent to seek the death penalty.
Not long after Mangione's arrest, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she would instruct prosecutors to pursue the death penalty, describing Thompson's killing as a "premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America" and saying her position aligned with "Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again." A federal judge dismissed two of the four counts in Mangione's federal indictment on January 30, 2026, including the death penalty-eligible charge of murder through use of a firearm, ruling that Supreme Court precedent made the murder charge "incompatible" with the two stalking charges.
This case will proceed to trial on counts one and two, which charge the defendant with causing Brian Thompson's death under two federal stalking laws. The potential maximum punishment for each of those offenses is life in prison without parole.
Garnett had added that the "chief practical effect" of dismissing the other two counts was solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment, according to the second Fox News report cited above. According to another wire service report, that January ruling left only the two stalking counts in place ahead of Friday's plea.
What has been the public reaction?
The case has made Mangione, now 28, a polarizing figure in the national debate over the US healthcare system. Supporters have gathered at his court appearances, some wearing green in a nod to the video game character Luigi or T-shirts reading "FREE LUIGI," and an online fundraiser for his legal defense has raised more than $1.5 million. Ed Ongweso Jr, a senior researcher at Security in Context at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said in the days after Thompson's killing that public reaction reflected deep frustration with the healthcare industry.
It's not surprising to me that some people celebrated the assassination as a form of catharsis, but I am surprised by how many people are openly doing so and pushing back against attempts to scold it.
By Friday's hearing, however, the crowds of vocal supporters seen at earlier proceedings had largely thinned outside the courthouse, according to the second source's account of the day. Ahead of the scheduled September 8 state trial, a judge had announced an overflow courtroom to accommodate expected demand, according to another national newspaper's report, reflecting the unusually heavy public interest the case has continued to draw.
What happens next?
Mangione's federal sentencing has been set for December 18, 2026, following Friday's guilty plea, according to Time, with the hearing scheduled for 11 a.m. that day, according to a live-news account from CNN, which also reported that Mangione is expected to remain in federal custody until sentencing. His previously scheduled federal trial, which had been moved to January 2027 to avoid overlapping with the state case according to the earlier wire service report, will no longer take place as a result of the plea. The state murder trial remained scheduled for September 8, 2026, according to Al Jazeera and confirmed by NPR, though its status was still in question on Friday afternoon following the defense's motion to dismiss it, a decision that NPR said would fall to a separate judge. According to live coverage from the New York Times, the outcome of that motion had not been decided as of Friday. Neither Mangione's attorneys, the Southern District of New York's office, nor the Manhattan District Attorney's office had responded to requests for comment beyond their public statements by the time of publication.
Key Facts
- Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on August 14, 2026, to two federal stalking charges over the December 4, 2024, killing of Brian Thompson, telling the court "I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died."
- Judge Margaret Garnett accepted the plea and set federal sentencing for December 18, 2026, at 11 a.m.; the charges each carry a possible life sentence, and Mangione is expected to remain in federal custody until then.
- Federal prosecutor Jamie McDonald said the government would seek life imprisonment; defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo filed a motion to dismiss the separate state murder case on double jeopardy grounds.
- Brian Thompson's widow, Paulette Thompson, and other family members were in the courtroom's front row; the family later called the plea "an important step toward justice" while urging a sentence reflecting the crime's severity.
- The state murder trial remained scheduled for September 8, 2026, but a separate judge will decide whether it proceeds after the Manhattan DA's office said it remains committed to litigating the case.
