AP report: Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in federal case over CEO killing

Luigi Mangione is reportedly expected to plead guilty as early as Friday in the federal case accusing him of stalking and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The development, if it proceeds, would mark a significant turn in a case that has drawn attention from business leaders and their critics.

A person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, cautioned that Mangione could still change his mind. Mangione's lawyers, as well as spokespeople for the Justice Department and Manhattan federal prosecutors, declined to comment.

Mangione, 28, is accused of traveling to New York City to ambush Thompson, 50, and shooting him outside a Manhattan hotel on December 4, 2024, as the executive headed to UnitedHealth Group's annual investor conference. He faces two federal counts of stalking.

The hearing in Manhattan federal court comes as Mangione's legal team has been in discussions with federal prosecutors regarding a potential resolution to one of his two criminal cases stemming from Thompson's death. Previous talks in June had faltered. Mangione also faces a state murder trial, set to begin September 8, and has pleaded not guilty. He has previously argued to a judge that facing two trials for the same events violates double jeopardy protections.

Under New York law, a state prosecution could be barred if the federal case is resolved first, though this is not automatic. State prosecutors contend their case is distinct and double jeopardy should not apply. The federal charges allege Mangione crossed state lines by bus to stalk and kill Thompson, using a cellphone, the internet, interstate highways, and a hostel frequented by out-of-state customers in his planning and execution of the attack. The state charges focus on the killing itself and related firearms offenses.

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It's the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.