In court today
• Mangione pleads guilty: Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. “I shot Mr. Thompson 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.
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 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.
They 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:
Catch up on what happened in court when Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty
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.
The plea raises questions about how the state case, which was set to go to trial in a few weeks, will proceed. The defense has filed a motion to dismiss that case.
Here’s what to know:
- In court, Mangione spoke quickly and used few words to admit what he had done: “I shot Mr. Thompson and he died.” He also said that he “knew what I was doing was illegal.”
- 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 in court about severe back pain and frustrations navigating the healthcare system.
- 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.
- 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, including that “the defendant’s conduct resulted in Brian Thompson’s death.”
- New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch said today “is an important moment of accountability.” In remarks outside the court, prosecutors said Mangione’s case underscores that violence is not a legitimate way to advance any political or social belief.
- Thompson’s mother, widow and several other family members were sitting in the front row of the courtroom and were visibly emotional during moments of the hearing. After the court proceedings, Thompon’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” in a statement. A crowd of journalists and members of the public gathered outside court, though it was noticeably smaller 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.
"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 case 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 case, 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 the state case, according to attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo.
That trial is slated to begin on September 8.
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 and he died,” he said. “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
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.
Mangione's sentencing set for December 18
Luigi Mangione’s sentencing in the federal case is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, December 18.
Judge Margaret Garnett said if either side intends to present live witnesses at sentencing, she would like to be notified two weeks ahead.
Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges
Judge Margaret Garnett just asked Luigi Mangione how he pleads to counts 1 and 2 of the indictment. Mangione says, “guilty.”
Garnett said she accepted the guilty plea.
Footage shows Mangione following Thompson in days before shooting, prosecutor says
Prosecutors reviewed some of the evidence they have against Luigi Mangione, which is a routine practice for a hearing of this kind.
Federal prosecutor Dominic A. Gentile said prosecutors have security footage showing Mangione arriving in New York on a bus on November 24, 2024, and following UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson around Midtown Manhattan on the days leading up to the shooting on December 4.
Footage also showed Thompson “get shot, turn around, and face the defendant as he got shot a second time,” Gentile said.
"I shot Mr. Thompson and he died," Mangione says
When speaking of the day he committed the crime, Luigi Mangione said, “I shot Mr. Thompson and he died.”
He concluded, “I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Mangione had just described the actions he took ahead of the killing, telling the court:
Correction: An earlier version of this post got wrong the figure Luigi Mangione cited in his remarks to the court. He said $50 billion.
