CALGARY — Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty Friday to federal stalking charges connected to the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.Mangione appeared in federal court Friday, where he entered his plea in the case involving Thompson's death."I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan," Mangione stated in court.“I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”Mangione, 28, has been accused of fatally shooting Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024, during an investor conference. He was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, following a nationwide manhunt.Authorities have alleged that evidence recovered following his arrest —including a handgun, identification documents and a notebook — linked him to the killing. Prosecutors have also pointed to surveillance footage, DNA, fingerprints and ballistic evidence as part of their case. Mangione's defence has challenged the use of some evidence in court..For months, Mangione’s lawyers have argued that pursuing separate federal and state cases violates his constitutional protection against double jeopardy. While those arguments have so far been unsuccessful, Seth J. Zuckerman, a New York criminal defence attorney and former prosecutor stated told PEOPLE that Mangione’s guilty plea could change the legal landscape.“I think it’s a stronger argument to say he’s already been convicted in the federal system, and therefore, there’s a change in circumstance here, and the state case can’t proceed,” Seth J. Zuckerman, a New York criminal defence attorney and former prosecutor stated.Federal prosecutors initially pursued murder and firearms charges that made Mangione eligible for the death penalty. In April 2025, then-US Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek capital punishment.In January 2026, however, US District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the federal murder and firearms charges. The judge found that the charges were legally incompatible with the federal stalking allegations.The decision removed the possibility of a federal death sentence and left the stalking charges as the central federal case.Mangione's federal trial had been scheduled for later this year, while his state murder trial was set for September. Recent plea negotiations between Mangione's lawyers and federal prosecutors had raised speculation that the federal case could be resolved before either trial takes place. CNN reported Wednesday that negotiations were ongoing but cautioned that they could still fail to produce an agreement..His defence has argued that a federal conviction related to Thompson's death could prevent New York from prosecuting him again under double-jeopardy protections.Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has opposed that argument and is expected to fight any effort to have the state case dismissed.“Even on the quickest schedule, I see a very hard time for that schedule to be kept,” he said. “I presume whoever loses the double jeopardy motion is going to go to the Appellate Division for an emergency appeal.”The potential conflict has created tension between the federal and state prosecutions. A federal guilty plea could allow Mangione's lawyers to seek dismissal of the state murder case, although prosecutors maintain the two cases involve separate offences.If the state case is allowed to continue, Mangione could still face a murder trial in New York.Mangione is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on December 18, following his guilty plea to federal stalking charges. Prosecutors are expected to seek a sentence of roughly 24 to 30 years in prison. The sentencing will be separate from Mangione’s New York state case, where he still faces murder and other charges in connection with Thompson’s death.
