The trial for the murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson was scheduled to begin next month. However, these plans changed when L. Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, and his lawyers requested the dismissal of state charges.
The state case hearing was scheduled for early December.
In dramatic circumstances in the courtroom, L. Mangione admitted on Friday to killing the health insurance company executive on Manhattan Street. This happened as he pleaded guilty to stalking before a federal judge.
“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. B. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” L. Mangione told the federal judge, admitting guilt for stalking his victim.
His sentence will be announced on December 18, and prosecutors said they will seek life imprisonment.
“Murder must not become a way to gain fame”
L. Mangione was charged with stalking in the federal court system and murder in the New York state system. His lawyers on Friday urged the dismissal of state charges to prevent double jeopardy for the same act.
“We have filed a motion with the state court explaining why, under New York’s double jeopardy protections, the charges must be dismissed,” L. Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said on Friday after the guilty plea.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated that he is “relentlessly preparing to seek a conviction” in the state case, where L. Mangione still denies his guilt.
Stalking and murder charges carry life imprisonment. Two other federal charges, which carried the death penalty, were dismissed earlier this year by a judge.
This case has deeply divided the public, and conservatives led by U.S. President Donald Trump are calling for L. Mangione to be punished in a way that sets an example for others.
Prosecutors emphasized on Friday that he deserves a harsh sentence.
“Murder must not become a way to gain fame,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jamie McDonald told reporters.
Meanwhile, crowds of L. Mangione’s supporters gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse to show support, with strict security measures in place and a helicopter flying overhead.
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