Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges arising from the 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, according to US media reports.
Mangione, 28, addressed the court and read a statement describing how he had targeted Thompson ahead of the shooting outside an investor conference in Manhattan, The Washington Post reported.
The guilty plea marks a change in Mangione’s position after he had previously denied both state and federal charges connected with Thompson’s death. The federal offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Mangione still faces a separate prosecution in New York on murder and weapons charges. Jury selection in the state case is scheduled to begin in September.
Thompson, 50, headed UnitedHealthcare, the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group. He was shot from behind on a Manhattan sidewalk on December 4, 2024, while walking to his company’s investor conference.
After a five-day manhunt, authorities arrested Mangione at a fast-food restaurant in Pennsylvania.
Thompson’s killing prompted a broader debate in the United States about the practices of the health insurance industry. Mangione also attracted an unusual degree of online sympathy from some Americans angry about the healthcare system, while the killing itself drew strong condemnation from officials and Thompson’s family.
Mangione continues to face separate federal and state proceedings related to the shooting.