According to Reuters, on August 14 local time, Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in his federal criminal case. He admitted that in 2024, he followed the CEO of UnitedHealth Group, Brian Thompson, to an investor conference and shot him on the streets of New York City.
At present age 28 years old Louis Ji stated the facts in a level tone.
Luigi said that he created a gun using 3D printing technology, went to New York, and used tricks—pretending to be an investor in a company worth billions of dollars—to get in touch with the victim's company in order to obtain details about the activities.
On that day, Luigi appeared in front of the Federal Court in Manhattan, New York, and said, ‘I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan; he died.’ He was wearing leg irons but no handcuffs, and entered the court dressed in a beige prison uniform.
The prosecutor plans to seek a life sentence for Luigi at the sentencing hearing on December 18th.
When a U.S. district judge asked Luigi if he understood that he might spend the rest of his life in prison, he replied calmly: “Yes.”
Louis attended a hearing in Manhattan, New York. Video screenshot
This plea agreement will prevent this highly anticipated case from entering the federal court stage. Pleading to reduce the charges may also allow Luigi to seek a dismissal of the murder charges in New York State, and to delay the upcoming state trial.
Currently, Luigi faces federal and state charges.
In January this year, the judge dismissed Luis's federal murder charges and gun-related charges, thereby eliminating the possibility of him facing the death penalty in federal cases. However, if the remaining two federal tracking crime charges are proven true, he could still face life imprisonment without parole.
On December 4, 2024, Brian Thompson, a senior executive of UnitedHealth Group, was shot and killed outside a hotel in Manhattan, New York. A few days later, Luigi was arrested as a suspect.
According to American media, despite the condemnation of this murder by public officials, Luigi has become a kind of ‘people’s hero’ in the hearts of some Americans. People are deeply dissatisfied with the high medical costs and insurance practices in the United States.
On August 14th, Luigi, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania from a wealthy family in Maryland, said, 'After enduring the severe pain caused by back fractures for many years, dealing with obstacles in the health insurance system, and witnessing countless people going through similar experiences,' he decided to follow Thompson.
Louis's lawyer claimed that his clients "believed the system wronged him and destroyed his life."
