Manhattan murder suspect expected to plead guilty in federal hearing

Luigi Mangione, 28, is scheduled to appear in federal court on Friday and is expected to plead guilty to charges stemming from the December 4, 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel. The plea expectation comes from a source familiar with the case, though Mangione could still change his mind, the source said.

Prosecutors and Mangione’s attorneys have not commented on the upcoming hearing, which was requested by both sides earlier this week. Mangione faces two federal counts of stalking that led to Thompson’s death, each carrying a potential life-sentence. A state murder trial is slated to begin next month, and it remains uncertain whether that proceeding will continue if the federal plea is entered.

“It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition,” Mangione told a judge in February, expressing concern over facing two separate prosecutions for the same conduct.

Under New York law, a guilty plea in the federal case could trigger double-jeopardy protections that might bar the state case, though state prosecutors have objected to that possibility. A federal judge earlier this year dismissed additional charges that could have exposed Mangione to the death penalty.

Evidence presented in the federal case includes a 3D-printed pistol recovered from Mangione’s backpack that investigators say matches the weapon used in the killing, as well as a notebook outlining his intent to target an insurance executive. Surveillance footage captured a masked gunman firing from behind, with ammunition reportedly marked with the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” phrases associated with insurance claim practices.

Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a Maryland family, was arrested five days after the shooting at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. While his case has drawn attention from critics of the health-insurance industry, the legal proceedings focus on the criminal charges and potential penalties.