Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges in New York on August 14, 2026. The guilty plea concerns the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Mangione still faces a state murder charge, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
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Mangione entered the guilty plea in federal court in Manhattan. Reports said he admitted to shooting Thompson as part of the plea. He faces sentencing in December 2026. Federal judge Margaret Garnett had ruled earlier in 2026 that prosecutors could not seek the death penalty in the federal case.
The state case
Mangione’s New York state trial had been set to begin on September 8, 2026. On August 17, Judge Gregory Carro postponed it indefinitely. His lawyers had asked the court to dismiss the state charges on double-jeopardy and due-process grounds after the federal plea. The judge gave the Manhattan District Attorney’s office until October 10, 2026, to respond.
What is not yet known
The reporting we reviewed does not show how the October 10 deadline was resolved. Check current court reporting before relying on the status of either case.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article was written in December 2024, misspelled the defendant’s name, and gave details that were not confirmed by court records. It has been rewritten to report the case as of the latest reporting available.
Sources
- CNN, Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges (14 August 2026): https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/14/us/live-news/luigi-mangione-hearing-plea-deal-talks
- NPR, Mangione pleads guilty in federal court, leaving fate of state trial uncertain (14 August 2026): https://www.npr.org/2026/08/14/nx-s1-5930700/mangione-federal-charges-guilty-plea
- AP via PBS NewsHour, Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial postponed indefinitely (17 August 2026): https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/luigi-mangiones-state-murder-trial-postponed-indefinitely-as-double-jeopardy-fight-plays-out
- CNN, Luigi Mangione’s state trial postponed (17 August 2026): https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/17/us/luigi-mangione-state-trial-postponed
- NBC News, Luigi Mangione will face trial in New York on June 8 (2026 reporting on the death penalty ruling): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/luigi-mangione-will-face-trial-new-york-june-8-rcna257767