He Said “I Shot Him” in Federal Court. Why New York Might Not Be Allowed to Try Him for Murder
More than a year after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, the man charged with killing him confessed in his own words.
“On the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Luigi Mangione, 28, said calmly in federal court Friday, as Thompson’s widow and family members held each other in the front row.
He expressed no remorse.
The stunning admission was supposed to bring clarity. Instead, it has thrown his upcoming New York state murder trial into limbo — and it could mean he never faces a state jury at all.
Hours after the federal plea, Mangione’s lawyers filed a motion asking New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro to dismiss his second-degree murder and weapons charges. Their argument: New York law does not allow a person to be prosecuted twice for the same criminal transaction.
On Monday, Carro effectively postponed the state trial. Jury selection was set to begin Sept. 8. He has now given Manhattan prosecutors until Oct. 9 to respond to the double jeopardy claim and set Mangione’s next state court appearance for Dec. 10.
A Federal Plea With No Deal
Mangione pleaded guilty to two federal stalking charges without a plea agreement with prosecutors. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett set sentencing for Dec. 18. Federal prosecutors said they intend to seek life.
The plea heads off a federal trial scheduled for January 2027, but it raises a critical question that has followed the case since he was first charged in two jurisdictions: can New York punish him again for the same killing?
New York’s double jeopardy statute is broader than the U.S. Constitution. It prohibits successive prosecutions not just for the same offense, but for the same act or criminal transaction, even if the offenses have different elements.
“It was a single tragic event, yet he’s being prosecuted twice for the same conduct,” defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said outside the courthouse. “Thankfully, New York law does not permit a person to be prosecuted and punished twice for the exact same crime.”
Prosecutors allege the opposite: that Mangione’s defense is trying to use the federal case to evade accountability.
In a filing, the defense accused state and federal prosecutors of coordinating to let the state case go first to avoid double jeopardy protections.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said it is prepared to fight.
“We are encouraged that Mr. Thompson’s family received a measure of accountability today. While federal sentencing is pending, we are prepared to litigate the defense motions. The Manhattan D.A.’s Office remains committed to seeking justice for Mr. Thompson and his family,” a spokesperson said.
Legal experts say the defense has a strong shot.
“I think it’s more likely than not that the state case goes away with the federal guilty plea,” said Anthony Capozzolo, a former prosecutor with the Manhattan DA’s Office. “It’s likely both offenses will be punishing someone for the murder of the same victim and the elements are punishing the same harm or evil.”
How He Said He Did It
For the first time, Mangione described the planning in detail.
Reading from a prepared statement, he said that after years of “enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others,” he learned UnitedHealthcare would hold its annual investor conference in New York City on Dec. 4, 2024.
He said he used a 3D printer to create part of a firearm, equipped it with a silencer and magazine, and traveled to New York City in November 2024.
“I then emailed UnitedHealthcare leadership, posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 billion in assets and requesting information about the conference,” Mangione said. “Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response within an hour.”
“When I did so, I understood that my actions would place him in fear of death or serious bodily injury. I knew what I was doing was illegal.”
The killing outside the Hilton in Midtown sparked a five-day manhunt that ended in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police arrested Mangione in a McDonald’s.
In his backpack, authorities said they found a gun linked to the crime scene and a notebook that referred to targeting the CEO at what he called the “parasitic bean-counter convention.”
The Motive That Divided America
Outside court, Friedman Agnifilo said Mangione has “accepted full responsibility” and described Friday as a “solemn and significant day.”
“As Luigi explained in court today, he endured years of severe, debilitating pain following a broken back while struggling to navigate our healthcare and health insurance systems,” she said. “Like the thousands of people who have reached out since this tragedy to share their own experiences, he believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life.”
That sentiment is why the case has become one of the most divisive criminal cases in America. While condemned by public officials, the shooting became emblematic of frustration with the health insurance industry. On X, #Mangione has trended for months with supporters calling him a folk hero and critics decrying the glorification of violence.
In a statement, Thompson’s family called the guilty plea “an important step toward justice.”
“While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable,” the family said. “Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.”
For now, whether a New York jury will ever hear the case remains an open question. Carro could dismiss some or all of the state charges, allow the trial to proceed, or wait until after the Dec. 18 federal sentencing to decide.
Either side can appeal, which would delay a state trial further — if there is one at all.
