Luigi Mangione admitted to the cold-blooded killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, pleading guilty Friday to federal stalking charges, as the slain executive\u2019s widow cried silently in the courtroom gallery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,\u201d Mangione, 28, said in Manhattan federal court, reading from a written letter.<\/p>\n
Mangione drew glares from Thompson\u2019s relatives as he walked into the courtroom with his hands uncuffed behind his back, but his ankles shackled, wearing a beige prison jumpsuit with a long-sleeved white shirt rolled up to his elbows.<\/p>\n
Mangione could still end up serving life behind bars as prosecutors are expected to seek the maximum penalty on the federal charges. Obtained by NY Post<\/p>\n
Several of Thompson\u2019s relatives, including his widow, sat in the second row of the courtroom, eyed the accused killer as he strolled in, took a seat and intently read, and then signed, a document with lawyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Mangione is prepared to plead guilty to the indictment at this time,\u201d\u00a0defense attorney Karen Agnifilo told the judge.<\/p>\n
Mangione looked solemn, close to choking up, as he said \u201cyes\u201d to a series of questions about the legal specifics of his plea.<\/p>\n
He nodded his head slightly when Judge Margaret Garnett told him that the maximum sentence he could face is a potential life sentence.<\/p>\n
The defiance that defined Mangione\u2019s alleged \u201cmanifesto\u201d detailing his ax to grind with the health insurance industry had seemingly seeped away in the courtroom.<\/p>\n
The now-admitted killer\u2019s written speech methodically detailed his grudges over enduring years of severe back pain and eventual plot against Thompson.<\/p>\n
He revealed that he even posed as an investor at a firm managing $150 million in assets in an email to UnitedHealthcare leadership to score details about their 2024 conference in New York City.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore traveling to New York, I used a 3-D printer to make a gun,\u201d he said. \u201cI equipped the gun with a silencer and a magazine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mangione had been set to begin his federal court trial in January on the two counts \u2014 \u00a0interstate stalking resulting in death and stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death. <\/p>\n
He\u2019ll now face a sentencing hearing on Dec. 18.<\/p>\n
Mangione is still charged with murder in the second-degree, criminal possession of a forged instrument, also in the second-degree, and multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon in state court.<\/p>\n
Jury selection for his state trial is set to kick off on Sept. 8.<\/p>\n
His lawyers confirmed after the plea hearing that they\u2019ll file a motion in state court arguing it\u2019d constitute double jeopardy if he\u2019s convicted in that case.<\/p>\n
US District Judge Margaret Garnett warned Mangione on Friday that his potential sentence in the state case could come consecutively. <\/p>\n