Luigi Mangione admits he shot against the CEO of UnitedHealthcare
"I shot Mr. Thompson", said the 28-year-old, for whom the judge foresees life imprisonment
WashingtonLuigi Mangione has pleaded guilty to federal charges in the murder of the CEO of the health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson. The young man, 28, admitted to the judge that he shot the CEO on December 4, 2024, on the outskirts of a New York hotel: "I shot Mr. Thompson. I was aware that my actions would make him fear for his life or for possible bodily injury. I knew that what I was doing was illegal."
By accepting the charges, Judge Margaret M. Garnett stated that she would sentence Mangione to a maximum of life in prison. The young man showed no emotional reaction when he heard the announced sentence. During the hearing, he answered the questions asked of him with certainty and firmness.
On a federal level, Mangione was only charged with harassment in Thompson's murder. The murder charge was made at the state level, a case that is yet to be resolved in another hearing next month.
Mangione was arrested after a five-day manhunt when a McDonald's employee recognized him. Although the murder recordings only show an armed and hooded man, images of his face were obtained from another security camera recording near the area. It was then that the fascination with Mangione's figure as a kind of sex symbol in circles critical of healthcare privatization began. This perception grew even more after his action was interpreted by many Americans as revenge against the abuses of health insurance companies.
On the bullets found at the crime scene, the words delay, deny, and depose were engraved, an expression used to denounce that insurance companies often avoid paying claims. Furthermore, authorities also found several writings in which Mangione criticized health insurance companies for their greed. In the United States, stories of people who pay for insurance their entire lives – which is not cheap – only to later discover that the company does not fully cover the treatment of cancer or similar illnesses are common.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest medical insurers in the United States and has a history of denying requests from its clients for necessary medical procedures or medications, as well as manipulating medical and patient data to maximize profits.
There are fifteen reports and five lawsuits against UnitedHealthcare for denying medical care to patients because the cost of the procedure was too high, even though it was necessary. There are also twelve reports and five lawsuits against the company for overbilling and overcharging the federal government.
In a recent case in Minnesota, a federal judge has ordered UnitedHealthcare to release all documents related to a lawsuit alleging that the insurer used an AI-driven algorithm to decide to improperly deny health coverage to Medicare Advantage plan members.