Mangione pleads guilty to US federal stalking charges in killing of healthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday to federal stalking charges related to the killing of Brian Thompson, a U.S. health insurance executive, reported Xinhua.

"I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died," he told a federal court in New York. "I knew what I was doing was illegal."

Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot dead on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, outside a hotel in Manhattan. Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt for a suspect made the case a social media sensation across the country.

Mangione told the judge that he was motivated to kill Thompson because of his experience with the healthcare system as a patient with a back injury.

Mangione, 28, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He will be sentenced at a separate hearing on Dec. 18.

He still faces charges in state court, including second-degree murder and firearms crimes. His lawyers said they have filed a motion seeking to dismiss the state indictment.