ToplineLuigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty to stalking charges in federal court on Friday, the New York Times reports, potentially fending off one of two trials the suspect faces for the alleged killing of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson—though his separate trial on state charges could still start next month as scheduled.Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on August 11 in New York City.Getty ImagesKey FactsMangione is expected to plead guilty at a hearing Friday in federal court, the Times reported Thursday citing anonymous sources.The 28-year-old faces two federal charges for stalking related in death, which are punishable by life in prison, though the court threw out harsher murder charges that could have resulted in the death penalty.He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.The details of the potential deal are still unclear, and Mangione’s attorneys have not publicly confirmed their intention to enter a plea.Mangione’s lawyers are expected to use any plea deal in federal court to try and get the suspect out of his separate trial in New York state court, by arguing that “double jeopardy” laws should prohibit him from being tried twice for the same crime.It’s still unclear if that gambit will work, the Times notes, as prosecutors in New York are likely to argue his state charges—which include second-degree murder—are substantially different enough to still warrant a trial.What We Don’t KnowIt’s still possible the plea discussions could fall apart and the deal could not come to fruition, the Times notes, citing the “sensitive nature” of the talks. If the plea negotiations fall through, Mangione would still be slated to go to trial in federal court in January as scheduled.What to Watch forMangione’s trial in state court is set to begin with jury selection Sept. 8, though any plea in federal court is likely to lead to a flurry of requests seeking to fend off that trial. The suspect also faces a sentence of life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder at the state trial, as New York does not have the death penalty.Key BackgroundMangione was arrested in December 2024 following a dayslong manhunt, after Thompson was shot on the streets of midtown Manhattan in the early morning of Dec. 2. The suspect was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and was found with an alleged “manifesto” that railed against corporate greed and the U.S. healthcare industry. Mangione’s case has garnered widespread attention and the suspect has attracted some support amid Americans’ growing disillusionment with rising healthcare costs. The Justice Department initially sought the death penalty against Mangione, bringing charges for murder through use of a firearm and use of a firearm with a silencer to commit a “crime of violence.” Former Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had directed prosecutors to pursue the death penalty “after careful consideration,” citing President Donald Trump’s “agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.” The court threw out those charges in January, however, ruling Mangione could only face those charges if the other federal charges he faced are considered “crimes of violence” under federal law, which they are not.This story is breaking and will be updated.