Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to plead guilty at a hearing Friday in Manhattan federal court, according to sources familiar with the planned hearing. This development comes weeks before his state trial was set to begin.
Background of the Case
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days after the killing at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan. The gun used in the crime, a 3D-printed pistol, matches the one used to kill Thompson, prosecutors said. A notebook found with Mangione describes wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and rebelling against “the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel.”
The killing set off a nationwide conversation about the health insurance industry and focused national attention on Mangione, who was decried by some as a violent extremist and defended by others as an avatar for rage over the insurance industry. Federal prosecutors brought four charges against Mangione, including two terror-related murder charges that were later dismissed by a New York district judge.
The plea talks were ongoing, and Mangione can choose to accept or reject any deal or offer at any time, sources said. The details of the possible plea deal are not yet known, but they mark a conclusion of the Midtown saga nearly 21 months after the healthcare executive was gunned down on a midtown sidewalk.
Original reporting: NBC4 Los Angeles — read the source article.
