The case of Luigi Mangione, 28, who admitted last week in federal court that he murdered UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024, has taken yet another dramatic turn.
As RedState previously reported, Mangione pleaded guilty last Friday to federal stalking charges in the shooting death of Thompson, who was gunned down as he made his way to an investors conference in New York City. The guilty plea was not part of a plea agreement, but an apparent gambit by the defense to get his state murder charges thrown out.
When making his plea official, the defendant admitted to shooting Thompson, saying, "On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died." He added, "I knew what I was doing was illegal."
“Before traveling to New York, I used a 3D printer to make a gun,” he admitted. "On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died. When I did so, I understood my actions put him in … I knew what I was doing was illegal."
Legal experts have speculated that Mangione's legal team risked having their client plead guilty to the federal stalking charges in order to have his state murder charges thrown out because of New York state's double jeopardy protections. His murder trial was expected to begin on September 8.
READ MORE: 'I Knew What I Was Doing': Luigi Mangione Drops a Bombshell Guilty Plea
The gambit may have worked.
On Monday, New York state Justice Gregory Carro hit the brakes on Mangione's murder trial in order to give prosecutors time to respond after Mangione's defense team asked to have the murder charges thrown out.
Mangione’s trial on a second-degree murder charge in the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was scheduled to begin next month, but on Monday, New York state Justice Gregory Carro gave prosecutors until Oct. 9 to respond to a double jeopardy motion Mangione’s attorneys filed Friday.
That filing argued for dismissal of the state charges after Mangione pleaded guilty to federal stalking crimes.
The judge overseeing Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial in New York puts the proceedings on hold to allow prosecutors time to respond to Mangione’s efforts to have the case thrown out. https://t.co/asnICf8tAg
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 18, 2026
Carro gave the prosecution until October 9 to prepare its response; Mangione's next appearance in New York state court is scheduled for December 10.
In all, Mangione faced three sets of charges in connection with Thompson's murder: the federal stalking charges, the state murder charges, plus a slew of charges – including felony forgery – in Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended after days on the run. That case is on ice while the federal and state proceedings play out.
Mangione is scheduled to be sentenced on the federal stalking convictions on December 18, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in Manhattan. Federal prosecutors have said they will seek life in prison, although sentencing guidelines reportedly recommend roughly 24–30 years.
At this point, Mangione has admitted in open court that he killed Brian Thompson. The only questions left are which jurisdiction gets the final word and how much of the rest of his life he’ll spend behind bars.
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