In Court, Luigi Mangione Confesses: "I Shot Mr. Thompson"
Luigi Mangione, 28, appeared in a federal courtroom on Friday, wearing a beige prison uniform and a white T‑shirt under his jacket. His feet were shackled and he held his hands behind his back, although U.S. marshals had not handcuffed him.
The packed room held press, supporters of Mangione, and members of Brian Thompson’s family. The mood was tense as the defendant waited for Judge Margaret Garnett to strike proceedings to the word that would decide the fate of a high-profile murder case.
Judge Garnett first asked Mangione whether he had decided to plead guilty. The lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, informed the court that Mangione was prepared to do so. After confirming the defendant understood the implications, Mangione leaned into the microphone and finally declared, "Guilty." He then read his statement, admitting that he had killed Thompson.
The court had been expecting a plea deal, but the defendant’s choice was simple: not guilty to guilty. Mangione’s admission includes details of how he learned of UnitedHealth’s December conference, how he used a 3D printer to assemble a weapon, and his confession of the killing on the morning of 4 December 2024.
The case will be sentenced on 18 December. Prosecutors recommend 24–30 years, but the judge will decide the final sentence. A separate state trial for the murder is scheduled to begin in September.
The defendants’ statement marked the first time the court heard the actual account of a crime that had dominated media worldwide. Witnesses described a chilling moment of confession—the admission that the man who had stepped onto a Manhattan street to shoot a senior executive was not a stranger to the courtroom.
Image: Reuters
