Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to federal stalking charges in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
In court, Mangione read a statement laying out the motive for the crime, saying he had suffered from severe back pain for years after breaking his back and had heard about others dealing with similar issues. He said that prompted him to research UnitedHealth Group's investor conference and pose as an investor so he could attend.
Mangione also appeared to take a dig at UnitedHealthcare, saying he received an invitation to the conference within an hour of reaching out about attending as an investor. He appeared to contrast that quick response with complaints from some patients about their experiences with the company.
During his statement, Mangione admitted to stalking Thompson before fatally shooting him on Dec. 4, 2024, as Thompson walked to a Midtown Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealth Group was holding the annual investor conference.
"With today's guilty plea, Mangione has taken full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson," defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said.
Mangione's plea agreement means he will not go to trial in the federal case in 2027, but still faces life in prison. The agreement could also have implications for his separate state murder case, which was scheduled to begin Sept. 8 due to a double jeopardy argument.
Friday's guilty plea marks a major turn in a case that has drawn national attention since Thompson's killing.
Mangione, now 28, was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after the shooting. A customer recognized him from images released by police.
Investigators said they found a gun and notebook that tied Mangione to Thompson's murder.
Mangione was later extradited to New York, where he faced separate state and federal prosecutions. He initially pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Public reaction to Mangione has been sharply divided. While the killing was widely condemned, Mangione also attracted a vocal group of supporters — because of his apparent motive.
Ammunition recovered from the scene bore the words "delay," "deny" and "depose," an apparent reference to a phrase commonly used by critics to describe tactics they say insurers use to avoid paying claims.
Thompson started with UnitedHealth Group in 2004 and was promoted to CEO of UnitedHealthcare in 2021. During Thompson’s time at the top of UnitedHealthcare, the company’s rate of denials became a focus of investigators in the U.S. Senate. The Senate investigative report said UnitedHealthcare’s denials for post-acute care “surged” from 10.9% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022.
UnitedHealth Group defended its denial rate in a news release after Thompson’s death, saying the company “approves and pays about 90 percent of medical claims.”
