Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, admitting that he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of Manhattan on December 4, 2024. The murder was astonishingly brazen. In case anyone has forgotten, Mangione followed Thompson, shot him from behind at point-blank range, then fled the scene, only to be caught in a Pennsylvania McDonald’s five days later.
Technically, while Mangione admitted stalking resulting in the death of Thompson, he did not plead guilty to killing him, because that was not the charge he faced in federal court. (There were murder charges in the original federal indictment, but those charges were dismissed on technical grounds back in January.) Instead, Mangione pleaded guilty to “stalking” Thompson with the intent of killing him.
We don’t know yet what sentence Mangione will receive. What we do know is that Mangione’s New York state court murder trial is set to begin on September 8. The timing of the surprise federal guilty plea strongly suggests that Mangione’s lawyers intend to argue that the state trial is now barred by double jeopardy, and according to some reports, they have already filed motion papers on this basis seeking dismissal of the state charges. “One plus one is two,” Mangione told reporters last February. “This is double jeopardy by any common-sense definition.”
It’s a little complicated, but I think this argument is a loser. But first, let’s pause to consider what effect yesterday’s plea will have on Mangione’s fawning supporters.
