Luigi Mangione set to appear in court for expected guilty plea in
killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
[August 14, 2026]
By MICHAEL R. SISAK, LARRY NEUMEISTER and ALANNA DURKIN
RICHER
NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione is scheduled to be in federal court
Friday for a hearing at which he's expected to plead guilty in
connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson,
according to a person familiar with the matter.
Mangione could still change his mind about the plea, said the person,
who was not authorized to talk publicly about the case and spoke to The
Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. Previous plea talks in
June broke down.
Lawyers for Mangione and the Justice Department declined comment prior
to the late-morning court hearing, which was hastily requested by
prosecutors and defense lawyers earlier this week.
Mangione, 28, was charged by both federal and state prosecutors with
ambushing Thompson, 50, outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4, 2024,
as the insurance executive walked to UnitedHealth Group’s annual
investor conference.
A trial on state murder charges is scheduled to start next month. It is
unclear whether that trial would go forward if Mangione pleaded guilty
in the federal case.
Mangione faces two federal charges that he stalked Thompson to cause his
death. Both the federal and state cases could lead to a life prison
sentence. A federal judge earlier this year tossed out additional
charges that could have exposed Mangione to a potential death penalty.
Mangione had complained about the prospect of two trials, telling a
judge in February: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two.
Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”
Under New York law, a state prosecution could potentially be barred if
the federal case is resolved first. The state’s double jeopardy
protections kick in if a jury has been sworn in a prior prosecution,
such as a federal case, or if that prosecution ends in a guilty plea.
Mangione’s cases involve different charges arising from the same course
of conduct.
In a letter last month, state prosecutors objected to the possibility of
a guilty plea in the federal case wiping out the state case.
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Luigi Mangione appears for a pre-trial hearing at Manhattan Criminal
Court in New York, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Steven Hirsch/New
York Post via AP, Pool)
U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett has delivered some setbacks to
the defense, including ruling in January that prosecutors could use
items collected from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest as evidence
against him.
They included a 3D-printed pistol that investigators said matched the
one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which authorities say
Mangione described his intent to kill an insurance executive.
In June, Mangione’s lawyers said they would pursue a psychiatric defense
in the state case but reversed course a day later. The defense,
involving claims that he was suffering from extreme emotional
disturbance at the time of the killing, isn’t allowed in federal court.
Surveillance video of the killing showed a masked gunman shooting
Thompson from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were
written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how
insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, a University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland
family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona,
Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.
He has become a cause célèbre for some people upset with the health
insurance industry.
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Durkin Richer reported from Washington.
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