By Jack Queen
NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, said in court on Friday that he intended to plead guilty to federal charges of stalking a health insurance executive with the intent to kill him.
A guilty plea would avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans'
frustration with health insurance industry practices. It could also allow him to seek dismissal of state murder charges and delay an upcoming trial in that case.
U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett told Mangione that if he pleaded guilty he could face a maximum sentence of life in prison on each count. Garnett will impose Mangione's sentence at a later date.
Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said there was no plea agreement with prosecutors.
Thompson's widow sat in the front row of the gallery with other members of his family.
Mangione, 28, previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.
After Mangione said he planned to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with stalking Thompson with the intent to kill him, Garnett asked him a series of questions designed to make sure he understood the consequences of a guilty plea.
Mangione answered no when asked if he had ever been treated or hospitalized for a mental illness. Mangione spoke clearly and coherently. His lawyers and prosecutors told Garnett he was mentally competent enough to knowingly plead guilty, and the judge agreed.
NO POSSIBILITY OF DEATH PENALTY
Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a surprise ruling in January 2026. The decision eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty in the federal case, though he still faces a possible sentence of life without parole if convicted on the remaining stalking charges.
His federal trial was most recently set for January.
Mangione separately pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to state terrorism, murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The terrorism charges were thrown out by a judge in September 2025.
A trial in that case is scheduled for September 8 before Justice Gregory Carro in Manhattan. Mangione would face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.
Resolving the federal case could allow Mangione to seek dismissal of the murder charge under New York's double jeopardy law, which protects people from being prosecuted twice for the same conduct. Bragg's office would oppose the move, arguing that the murder charge is legally distinct from the federal charges.
Whoever loses would likely seek an emergency appeal.
Thompson led UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit before he was shot dead in the early morning of December 4, 2024, outside a hotel where an investor conference was taking place.
Graphic footage of the killing and a five-day manhunt for a suspect made the case a media fixture and social media sensation. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Mark Porter)
