By Jack Queen
NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down a health insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, arrived in federal court on Friday for a hearing where he could plead guilty to stalking or similar charges.
Mangione was led into the courtroom without handcuffs in beige prison garb.
A guilty plea would avert a 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.
Thompson's widow sat in the front row of the courtroom gallery with other members of his family.
Mangione’s lawyers and prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office jointly requested the hearing without giving a reason.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that Mangione was expected to plead guilty but said the specifics of the deal were unclear and could change because talks were ongoing. Mangione could also change his mind before or even during the hearing before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett.
He previously pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.
Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a surprise ruling in January. The decision eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty, 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.
If he pleads guilty in the federal case, Mangione is likely 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)
