Key Takeaways
- Mangione entered a guilty plea to two federal stalking charges tied to the 2024 death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
- Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 24 to 30 years, but the final decision will be made by the judge.
- A separate state murder trial is scheduled for September, following the partial dismissal of earlier charges.
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday (Aug. 14) to two federal stalking charges stemming from the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 28-year-old changed his previous not-guilty plea during an appearance before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan federal court, with members of Thompson’s family present in the courtroom. Mangione pleaded guilty to interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through the use of interstate facilities resulting in death, the two charges that remained in his federal case. Explaining his actions to the judge, Mangione reportedly stated, “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan. I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
There is no plea agreement between Mangione and federal prosecutors, his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo told the court. Per the Guardian, prosecutors submitted a letter stating that they believe a prison sentence of 292 to 365 months, or roughly 24 to 30 years, would be appropriate. The charges allow for a maximum sentence of life in prison, with Garnett setting Mangione’s sentencing for Dec. 18.
Mangione originally faced federal murder, stalking and firearms charges. In January, Garnett dismissed a murder-through-use-of-a-firearm charge and a related firearms count, ruling that the remaining stalking offenses did not qualify as crimes of violence under the federal statute necessary to sustain those charges. The decision also eliminated the possibility of the death penalty in the federal case.
Authorities accused Mangione of traveling to New York and stalking Thompson before the executive was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024. Mangione was arrested five days later in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a nationwide manhunt.
What happens to Luigi Mangione’s state murder case?
Mangione remains scheduled to go on trial Sept. 8 on charges that include second-degree murder, criminal possession of a forged instrument and multiple weapons offenses. Mangione pleaded not guilty in that case. The state’s earlier first-degree murder and terrorism-related charges were dismissed in September 2025.
His attorneys are expected to seek dismissal of the murder charge under New York’s double-jeopardy protections, while Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is expected to argue that the state murder charge is legally distinct from the federal stalking offenses. An unfavorable ruling for either side could prompt an emergency appeal, potentially complicating the Sept. 8 trial date.