Luigi Mangione says he will plead guilty to stalking

Luigi Mangione, accused of shooting dead UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in Manhattan, told a federal judge on August 14 that he was willing to plead guilty to stalking charges.

Mangione, 28, faces stalking charges in the federal system and murder charges in New York state. The stalking charges and the murder charges could both lead to life sentences. A judge earlier this year threw out two other federal charges that carried the death penalty.

His lawyers are expected to argue that a federal guilty plea should block a separate state murder trial under New York's double-jeopardy rules.

Prosecutors allege Mangione shot Thompson, 50, in December 2024 as a protest against the US insurance system. They said he travelled to New York by bus from Atlanta about 10 days before the killing, checked into a Manhattan hostel with false identification and carried out reconnaissance near the victim's hotel and the conference venue where the shooting took place.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 after a tip from staff at a McDonald's restaurant. After his arrest, officers searched him and property that included a handgun, a silencer and a jar of Skippy peanut butter. A checklist found on Mangione included entries such as "intel check in" and reminders to buy a camera from Best Buy.

The case has divided public opinion in the United States. Supporters of Mangione gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse, while President Donald Trump and other conservatives have called for him to be made an example of.