Luigi Mangione, who was accused of killing the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, in 2024, has pleaded guilty to the charges.

Mr Mangione admitted to shooting Mr Thompson during a court appearance at the Thurgood Marshall Courthouse in Manhattan on Friday.

“I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan. I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal,” he told the judge.

Mr Mangione, 28, had in April last year pleaded not guilty to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.

However, at a court appearance on Friday, Mr Mangione said he travelled to New York City, posed as an investor in UnitedHealthcare, and emailed the company’s leadership to get information about a planned investor meeting that Mr Thompson would attend. 

The accused explained that he printed a firearm using a 3-D printer and placed a silencer on the device after UnitedHealthcare had responded to his email within an hour.

Mr Mangione’s sentencing has been scheduled for 18 December 2026 as he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without the chance for parole for each of the stalking charges.

The development comes as Mr Mangione prepares to go on trial on September 8 for New York state charges related to Mr Thompson’s death.

New York prosecutors charged Mr Mangione with murder in the second degree, with the accused facing 25 years to life imprisonment if he is convicted.

Mr Mangione also faces separate charges in Pennsylvania, where he was arrested for forgery, carrying a firearm without a license, and other charges. 

Meanwhile, his legal team argued that the federal case and the state cases related to Mr Thompson’s death amount to double jeopardy, which is generally prohibited under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.