The state murder trial for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will not begin next month, and a judge will now decide whether the case can proceed.
The trial was set to begin Sept. 8, but the judge has removed it from the calendar as Mangione’s lawyers seek to have the state charges dismissed.
Their argument: Mangione has already pleaded guilty in federal court to conduct tied to the same killing, and prosecuting him again would violate New York’s double jeopardy law.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
Mangione pleads guilty
Mangione pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking charges and, for the first time, admitted in court that he killed Thompson.
He told the judge: “I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
Mangione said his experience with the healthcare system motivated him to kill Thompson. He said he suffered “years of enduring severe pain from a broken back and navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system.”
Why he chose specifically to kill Thompson, 50, remains a mystery; Mangione was never a customer of UnitedHealthcare, the company has said.
Mangione shot Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in December 2024. Surveillance cameras captured the shooting.
His guilty plea for the stalking charges carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.
Next steps
Mangione still faces second-degree murder and weapons charges in the state case, and Manhattan prosecutors say they will fight to keep that case alive.
They now have until October ninth to respond to the defense.
The next state court hearing is set for Dec. 10, eight days before Mangione is sentenced in the federal case, where prosecutors say they will seek life in prison.
Round out your reading
- All your questions about napping, answered.
- Trump’s $5,000 promise echoes past payouts that never materialized.
- Inside the effort to make data centers pay their share of electricity costs.
- Why did the Feds seize the ’largest Martian meteorite on Earth’?
- Photos and video show exactly where and when Trump visited Ground Zero after 9/11.
