Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to appear in federal court on Friday, Aug. 14.Show Caption
Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to appear in federal court on Friday, Aug. 14, according to a U.S. district court news release dated Aug. 13.Mangione, 28, has a court appearance scheduled before U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett, federal court records show. The hearing is set to begin at 11 a.m. ET.Meanwhile, reports suggest he may change his plea in the federal stalking case against him. The New York Times and NBC News, both citing sources familiar with the case, report that he is expected to plead guilty to at least one of the two stalking-related charges.A spokesperson for Mangione's defense team and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment from USA TODAY.Mangione is accused of shooting Thompson early on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, outside a hotel in midtown Manhattan where he was set to speak at an investment conference.The hearing comes about a month ahead of Mangione's murder trial in New York state court, where he faces a charge of second-degree murder, as well as weapons and forgery counts. He also has charges pending in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested after a multi-day manhunt.Mangione has so far pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him.Earlier this year, Garnett ordered that federal charges of murder through use of a firearm and another weapons charge be tossed out, taking the death penalty off the table. The remaining charges carry the chance of life in prison without parole.The hearing scheduled for Aug. 14 was scheduled days earlier as a result of a joint request between the prosecution and defense, according to court records.The killing of Thompson and the arrest of Mangione incited both worry among corporate executives and vitriol against the U.S. health care system.In the wake of Thompson's death, companies announced they were evaluating security measures, canceling in-person events, and scrubbing their websites of top executives’ biographies and photographs. Mangione's hearings have drawn dozens of supporters who've called for his release.Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Thao Nguyen
