Federal plea resolves one case but raises double-jeopardy questions for state trial
Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty Friday in Manhattan federal court to federal charges stemming from the December 4, 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare leader Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk. The plea resolves one of two criminal cases pending against Mangione but could upend or delay a separate state murder trial scheduled to begin in early September.
In federal court, Mangione directly addressed U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett about the shooting. “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan,” Mangione told the judge. He wore tan jail garb during the hearing.
Mangione also described what he said motivated the attack. He told the judge that after “enduring severe pain, and witnessing others with similar experiences,” he learned of the company’s investor conference and decided to act. He said he made part of a gun using a 3-D printer and planned the killing.
Thompson’s family sat in the front row of the courtroom during Friday’s hearing.
Judge Garnett said the maximum sentence for the federal conviction is life in prison. She scheduled sentencing for December.
The federal plea leaves a separate state murder prosecution pending. Manhattan prosecutors have scheduled that trial to begin in early September.
Though the state and federal charges aren’t the same, Mangione’s legal team is likely to argue that he cannot be tried for the same offense twice. Mangione previewed that argument after his state trial was scheduled, yelling, “Double jeopardy by any common sense definition!”