UnitedHealthcare CEO killer pleads guilty in New York federal court

At a hastily convened hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleaded guilty. The plea resolves one of two criminal cases brought against him over the executive's death, the Associated Press reports.

“I shot Mr. Thompson, and he died. I knew what I was doing was a crime,” Mangione told the federal court, describing the circumstances of the killing.

Answering questions from Judge Margaret Garnett, he pleaded guilty to two counts related to stalking Thompson with the intent to kill him.

What Mangione now faces

Having pleaded guilty in the federal case, Mangione's defense team intends to seek dismissal of the parallel state-level case, citing protections against being tried twice for the same offense. The federal court's sentencing decision is expected on December 18, according to CNN.

When the judge asked Mangione whether he understood he could spend the rest of his life in prison, he replied flatly: “Yes.”

The killing, which took place in December 2024, sparked unprecedented public reaction across the US, fueled in large part by the deeply unpopular reputation of American health insurance companies.

Source: novinky.cz