WorldLuigi Mangione on Friday admitted to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson in the back on a Manhattan sidewalk in 2024, while pleading guilty to two federal stalking charges in court on Friday.Mangione, 28, also faces murder charges filed by state prosecutorsThomson Reuters · Posted: Aug 14, 2026 11:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges1 hour ago|Duration 0:34Luigi Mangione admitted to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson in the back on a Manhattan sidewalk in 2024, while pleading guilty to two federal stalking charges in court, on Friday.Luigi Mangione on Friday admitted to fatally shooting health insurance executive Brian Thompson in the back on a Manhattan sidewalk in 2024, while pleading guilty to two federal stalking charges in court. Mangione, 28, previously pleaded not guilty in April ⁠2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors, but U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in a January ruling, leaving two stalking charges in places.That ruling eliminated the possibility that Mangione would face the death penalty, ‌though he still faces a possible sentence of life without parole if convicted on two charges: interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death.On Friday, Garnett asked him a series of questions designed to make sure he understood the consequences of a guilty plea. New York judge tosses terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, lets murder count standMangione answered no when asked if he had ever ⁠been treated or hospitalized for a mental illness. His lawyers and prosecutors told Garnett he was mentally competent enough to knowingly plead guilty, and the judge agreed.The judge scheduled sentencing for Dec. 18. Jamie McDonald, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said federal prosecutors will ask for a life sentence.WATCH | Mangione's lawyer speaks about case following plea:Hear from Luigi Mangione's lawyer, U.S. attorney after plea in federal case1 hour ago|Duration 6:40Luigi Mangione's lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, spoke about the state of her client's case after entering a plea in his federal case on Friday. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, speaking for federal prosecutors, described the killing of health-care executive Brian Thompson, and said his office is still free to seek the maximum penalty under the law. 'No grievance, political belief or ideological cause can ever justify murder,' the federal prosecutor said.It's not clear yet what effect the guilty plea will ultimately have on the second-degree murder charges filed in a separate case filed by New York State officials. The trial in that case is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8.Double jeopardy questionWhile calling it a "solemn and significant day," Mangione's lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said outside the court following the hearing that her client was being treated differently than other individuals in New York. "It was a single tragic event, yet he's being prosecuted twice for the same conduct."She said Mangione would seek dismissal of the ​state murder charge under New York's double jeopardy law.Paulette Thompson exits Manhattan federal court after Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty on to federal stalking charges in the killing of her husband, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Ryan Murphy/The Associated Press)Thompson led Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit before he was shot from behind on a Manhattan sidewalk early in the morning of Dec. 4, 2024. The 50-year-old Iowa native was attending an investor conference at a city hotel.Thompson's widow, Paulette, sat in the ​front row of the gallery on Friday with other members of his family. He is also survived by two children."While today's plea doesn't replace the void he left behind, I hope it offers the glimmer of closure the Thompson family and friends deserve," said James Barnacle, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office. 'Violence is not a cause'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 at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pa., some 370 kilometres from the scene of the crime. Born and raised in Maryland, Mangione lived a somewhat itinerant life in the two years leading up to Thompson's killing, working a series of jobs remotely and living for a time in Hawaii and California.Police have alleged he lashed out at health insurers in his private writings. WATCH | Why the judge tossed some charges earlier this year:Death penalty off the table for Luigi Mangione as judge dismisses federal murder chargeJanuary 30|Duration 2:10A federal judge in New York has dismissed a murder charge against Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett found the charge technically flawed. Mangione will still face federal stalking and firearms charges, as well as a separate state murder charge.UnitedHealth has said there's no record of Mangione or members of his immediate family as being among its policyholders.According to Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione believed "the system failed him and destroyed his life" after his own experience following an injury. "As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back, while struggling to navigate our health care and health insurance systems," she said."Social media posts taking aim at the American health insurance industry and its rate of denials of coverage proliferated in the wake of Thompson's killing, as did posts that appeared to celebrate Mangione. Previous court hearings attracted a larger-than-usual number of onlookers and demonstrators. New York City police Commissioner Jessica Tisch was unsparing in her assessment of Mangione."To those who idolize Luigi Mangione, I say this — violence is not a cause, murder is not a message and a killer is certainly not a hero," she said.Luigi Mangione's notes to self: 'Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows'Mangione 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.Mangione would face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.Bragg's office ​would oppose the move, arguing ⁠that the murder charge is legally distinct from the federal charges.With files from CBC News