Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and faces up to life in prison.
“I shot Mr. Thompson,” Mangione told the court. Thompson, 50, was shot in the back outside a Manhattan hotel in 2024. His family said Mangione’s sentence should reflect the severity of the “heinous act.”
“There can be no glorification of murder,” prosecutor Jamie McDonald said, addressing Mangione’s supporters. McDonald said Mangione opposed the healthcare industry and “attempted to send a public message through violence.”
Federal courts handle crimes involving federal law or national interests, while state courts handle crimes under the laws of a specific state.
By pleading guilty, Mangione’s defence is seeking to avoid a state trial and has filed a motion to dismiss the case, which would leave him facing sentencing only at the federal level.
Prosecutors say they will oppose the motion, while the defence argues that under New York’s double jeopardy law, he cannot be tried twice for the same act.
Mangione is currently scheduled to stand trial on state murder and weapons charges from 8 September. He had previously pleaded not guilty to those charges.
