The key takeaways
• Mangione pleads guilty: Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” he told the court. “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
• State trial: Mangione’s state trial is due to begin next month, but following today’s plea, his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss state murder and weapons charges on double jeopardy grounds. Mangione previously pleaded not guilty in both his federal and state cases. In remarks after the hearing, one of Mangione’s lawyers said prosecutors are trying to “punish him twice.”
• Inside the courtroom today: Mangione said he posed as an investor to find out information about the 2024 UnitedHealthcare conference in New York. Thompson’s widow and other family members became visibly emotional in court as Mangione spoke.
• What happens next: Mangione’s sentencing in the federal case is set for December 18.
We’ve wrapped up our live coverage. You can get up to speed on today’s developments by scrolling through the posts below.
Catch up on how today's hearing unfolded and what comes next for Luigi Mangione
Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He will remain in federal custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for December 18.
Here’s what comes next in the high-profile case:
- Judge Margaret Garnett explained to Mangione that he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Mangione’s lawyer confirmed to the judge that there is no plea agreement with the government, which means they have not agreed on a sentencing range. A former US prosecutor told CNN it’s “very likely” the judge will sentence him to life in prison or something close to it.
- The plea raises questions about how a state case in New York, which was set to go to trial in a few weeks, will proceed. The defense has filed a motion to dismiss all but one of the charges in the state case, arguing “the dual prosecutions arising out of the same event” violated Mangione’s rights.
- The state case issue is likely set off a complicated legal battle, another former US prosecutor told CNN. A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it is “prepared to litigate the defense motions.” Here’s a full breakdown of where the state charges stand.
If you’re just joining us, here’s how the courtroom proceedings unfolded:
- Mangione spoke quickly and used few words to admit what he had done: “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died.” He added that he “knew what I was doing was illegal.” Mangione also outlined how he posed as an investor in an email to UnitedHealthcare leadership in an effort to learn more about a conference Thompson was attending.
- Mangione has accepted “full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson” with his guilty plea, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said. “He believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” she said, reiterating statements Mangione made about severe back pain and frustrations navigating the healthcare system.
- Prosecutors also reviewed some of the evidence they have against Mangione, including security footage. Prosecutor Dominic Gentile explained the elements of charges they would have needed to prove at trial.
- Thompson’s mother, widow and several other family members were sitting in the front row and were visibly emotional during moments of the hearing. After the proceedings, Thompson’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” in a statement.
- Outside the courthouse, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that today “is an important moment of accountability.” Prosecutors said Mangione’s case underscores that violence is not a legitimate way to advance any political or social belief.
- A crowd of journalists and members of the public gathered outside court throughout the day, though there were noticeably fewer protesters and onlookers than the throngs that gathered for past hearings.
CNN’s Aditi Sangal, Kara Scannell, Alisha Ebrahimji, Nicki Brown and Lauren del Valle contributed reporting to this post.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Mangione's lawyers have filed to dismiss state charges. Here's what it includes
This is a good time to remind you that Luigi Mangione was facing a federal trial along with two state cases in New York and Pennsylvania. He pleaded guilty in the federal trial, but that might also impact his New York state trial.
Let’s get into it:
New York State case: Here are the state charges against Mangione:
- 1 count of Murder in the Second Degree
- 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree
- 3 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree
- 1 count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree
- 1 count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree
The punishment for one count of second-degree murder could be life imprisonment, which is the top charge in this case. The judge can also set a minimum sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison. There were 11 counts in the original indictment, but the judge dismissed the top two counts, which were two terror-related murder charges, and another weapons charge.
This is the case in which Mangione’s team has filed a motion to dismiss murder and weapon charges, arguing his guilty plea in the federal trial today triggers New York state law’s double jeopardy protections. Here’s CNN’s easy explainer on what double jeopardy means. The motion did not ask for the charge of possession of a forged instrument — stemming from Mangione’s alleged possession of a fake ID — to be dismissed.
Status of the other cases:
- Pennsylvania case: Meanwhile, if you’re wondering about the status on this, it’s tied to his arrest at the McDonald’s in Altoona. But this case has been on the backburner while the federal and New York state cases play out.
- Just a quick reminder on federal case: Mangione has pleaded guilty in this one. He faces up to life imprisonment for two stalking charges because prosecutors allege the conduct resulted in Brian Thompson’s death. Life imprisonment is not a mandatory sentence — the judge could set a term of years. District Judge Margaret Garnett told the 28-year-old that prosecutors determined the federal sentencing guidelines suggest about 24 to 30 years in prison. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines and can consider other factors in her determination. CNN noted that the judge explained all this to Mangione today.
You’re up to speed now.
Courtroom sketches show Mangione inside courtroom
We’re now getting a depiction of Luigi Mangione inside the courtroom in Manhattan from earlier today, thanks to a court sketch artist.
Remember, cameras are not allowed in federal courtrooms.
Life sentence still "very likely" despite guilty plea, according to former US prosecutor
Even though Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty today, it is still “very likely” that the federal judge will sentence him to life in prison or something close to it, former federal prosecutor Berit Berger told CNN.
Because there was no plea deal with federal prosecutors, there is no set sentencing range for the judge. “Federal judges have vast options at sentencing. You can sentence up to life in prison,” Elliot Williams, another former US prosecutor, said earlier on CNN.
Berger pointed out that, as the judge considers what sentence to give, she can consider conduct not only in connection with the stalking charges to which he pled guilty today, but also “all of the conduct that he did that entire day, the days leading up to it and the days after it.”
Mangione’s plea today was also an attempt to dismiss the state charges against him, which include second-degree murder, but Berger predicted that his sentencing from the federal case will be long whether or not the state case continues.
What it was like inside the courtroom as Mangione talked about shooting Brian Thompson
In a federal courtroom today, Luigi Mangione told the judge how he used a 3D printer to make part of the gun he used to shoot and kill healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The details and the admission of the crime garnered an emotional reaction from Thompson’s mother, widow and several other family members who were sitting in the front row.
Future of state case will depend on "legal fight," former US prosecutor says
The question of whether the state case against Luigi Mangione can proceed following his guilty plea in federal court today will come down to a “fight” over a tricky legal question, according to CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams.
While the US Constitution says no person can be tried twice for the same offense, “New York state law goes even further than that, and says that if two crimes are from the same criminal transaction, they can’t be prosecuted,” Williams said.
Based on that law, Mangione’s attorneys could argue the federal stalking charges – to which Mangione pleaded guilty to in court today – “are themselves the same extended criminal act” as the one at the center of the state case, Williams said.
“That’s going to be a legal fight,” he added.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and weapons charges in the state case.
Defense files motion to dismiss state charges, arguing against "dual prosecutions"
Luigi Mangione’s defense has filed a motion to dismiss most of the state charges against him related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione’s attorney, asked the state court to dismiss the second-degree murder and weapons possession charges against her client, according to the filing.
That accounts for seven of the eight state charges, with the surviving charge being for the possession of an allegedly fraudulent identification card “which took place on a different date and location than the conduct in the remaining counts,” the motion says.
The others should be dismissed because Mangione pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges related to Thompson’s death, the filing argues, contending “the dual prosecutions arising out of the same event” violated Mangione’s rights.
The motion alleges that the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the US Department of Justice improperly coordinated their efforts to ensure the state’s case would go to trial before the federal case in order to “avoid double jeopardy protections.”
Federal and state prosecutors “have sensationalized this case and misapplied statutes in an effort to overcharge him,” the motion alleges.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it is “prepared to litigate the defense motions.”
Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of Thompson, ahead of the state case that is set to go to trial on September 8.
This post has been updated with additional information from the motion.
Mangione didn't receive any concessions in exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutor says
Prosecutors said there was no agreement with the defense related to Luigi Mangione’s guilty plea in federal court today.
This means he chose to plead guilty to the charges he faced in the indictment with no incentive from a deal with prosecutors, Jamie McDonald, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said during a news conference after the hearing.
Manhattan District Attorney's Office says it is “prepared to litigate the defense motions”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is “prepared to litigate the defense motions,” according to a spokesperson, adding that it “remains committed to seeking justice” for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and his family.
Here’s the full statement:
"Mr. Mangione has been unfairly treated since the outset," his lawyer says
Luigi Mangione legal team says his guilty plea today triggers New York’s double jeopardy protections, which is why his defense team filed motion to dismiss the state charges against him, Karen Friedman Agnifilo said, arguing Mangione has been treated unfairly.
Noting that New York does not allow a person to be prosecuted for the same crime twice, Agnifilo said, “We just filed our motion in state court explaining why the state charges must be dismissed under New York’s double jeopardy protections.”
UnitedHealth Group says Thompson's death "devastated everyone who knew and loved him"
The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson “devastated everyone who knew and loved him,” a spokesperson for the health insurance company said in a statement today following Luigi Mangione’s guilty plea.
“We are grateful to law enforcement for bringing Brian’s murderer to justice, and our thoughts remain with Brian’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” the spokesperson added.
Thompson's family members were emotional in court as Mangione pleaded guilty
The widow of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and other family members were visibly emotional in court as Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty today.
Thompson’s widow “was breathing heavily, clasping the arm of the woman sitting next to her,” CNN’s Kara Scannell reports. “You could see the family members fighting back tears, holding on to each other’s hands.”
Family members also had visible reactions when the judge asked prosecutors whether Thompson “was aware what was happening” in the time between the first and second bullet hitting him. The prosecutor responded that he was.
“That caused some gasps from the family members that were sitting in the front row, the pain of this experience quite visible to them,” Scannell said.
NYPD commissioner hails today as a "moment of accountability"
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said today “is an important moment of accountability” in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“My thoughts remain first and foremost with Mr. Thompson’s family and everyone who knew and loved him,” she said.
Tisch also commended the “extraordinary police work that brought us here.”
She also sent a message “to those who idolize Luigi Mangione.”
"There can be no celebrity in assassination," prosecutor says
In a news conference immediately following Luigi Mangione’s hearing in federal court, prosecutors said Mangione’s case underscores that violence is not a legitimate way to advance any political or social belief.
Thompson family calls plea "an important step toward justice"
Brian Thompson’s family released a statement following today’s guilty plea by Luigi Mangione in the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing:
Defense files motion to dismiss state charges, attorney says
Following Luigi Mangione’s guilty plea in the federal case against him, his defense team has just filed a motion in state court to dismiss state charges, according to attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
That trial is slated to begin on September 8. Mangione previously pleaded not guilty in both his federal and state cases.
Mangione has "accepted full responsibility" for Brian Thompson's death, lawyer says
Luigi Mangione has accepted “full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson” with his guilty plea, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said.
“Today is a solemn and significant day. With today’s guilty plea, Mr. Mangione has accepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson arising from the events of December 4, 2024, outside of the UnitedHealthcare investor conference here in Midtown Manhattan. It was a single, tragic event. Yet he’s being prosecuted twice for the same conduct,” she said.
“As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our healthcare and health insurance systems. Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life,” she said at today’s news conference after Mangione’s hearing concluded.
Mangione spoke quickly and used few words in his statement to the court
When addressing his actions in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione spoke so fast that the judge asked him to slow down.
Mangione used few words to admit what he had done.
“I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” he said. “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
This post has been updated with additional information.
Luigi Mangione has left the courtroom
Luigi Mangione left the courtroom after he plead guilty and the hearing concluded. He will remain in federal custody pending sentencing, which is scheduled for December 18.
