Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to charges stemming from the December 2024 fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to EL PAÍS.
The Spanish outlet reports that Mangione entered the plea during a federal proceeding. In a statement tied to the plea, Mangione said, "I shot Mr. Thompson and he died," as reported by El Mundo and Cadena SER. The plea covers federal murder and harassment charges, per the same outlets.
Mangione had been facing a separate state case in New York over the same killing. The federal plea resolves the charges brought by U.S. prosecutors, who had accused him of using a firearm to kill Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel. The shooting drew widespread attention, with Mangione's arrest in Pennsylvania following a multi-state manhunt.
EL PAÍS notes that the plea marks a significant turn in a case that has been closely followed since the attack. Mangione's statement, as quoted by multiple outlets, directly acknowledged the act, removing the prospect of a federal trial on the murder count.
The federal case had run parallel to state proceedings, and Friday's development clarifies at least one track of the legal process. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled, and it remains unclear how the federal plea will affect the separate state charges still pending against Mangione.
Observers will be watching for the next court date to see whether the state case proceeds or is folded into the federal outcome.
