Image source, Reuters

Jamie McDonald, the US District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has also been addressing the fanbase that has grown around Mangione since his arrest in 2024.

He says Mangione shot and killed Brian Thompson because of his disagreement with the healthcare business, and that he "attempted to send a public message through violence".

"There can be no celebrity in assassination," McDonald says, calling Luigi Mangione's fans "fundamentally wrong" and adding that Thompson's family "has been grieving for two years".

"We live in a civilised society. We do not commit murder.”

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Given the enormous spectacle surrounding Mangione’s case, the courtroom itself was tense and silent this morning as Mangione arrived in court.

He wore a beige prison uniform and, though US Marshalls had not handcuffed him, Mangione entered the room with his hands clasped behind his back.

As they awaited the judge, Mangione conferred with his attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo, reviewing papers and, perhaps, the statement of guilt he would make just a few minutes later.

The courtroom was full of journalists, Mangione supporters, observers, and a handful of court staffers who had won a lottery to attend in person. And in the front row seated behind the prosecution: Brian Thompson’s family members.

The hearing began with a jolt, as Friedman Agnifilo told the judge: “Mr Mangione is prepared to plead guilty at this time".

From then on it was silent, as the judge asked Mangione a series of questions to ensure he understood the decision he was about to make. He answered tersely but firmly.

Only when he read his statement did Mangione appear to falter. His speech was rushed and somewhat mumbled.

As Judge Garnett politely suggested he lean in to the microphone, he continued steadily until he reached his conclusion - the admission he had killed Thompson.

Image source, Reuters

Mangione's defence lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo has also been speaking outside court.

She says his defence team has filed a motion in state court explaining why the state charges against Mangione "must be dismissed under New York’s double jeopardy protections".

"New York law does not permit a person to be prosecuted and punished twice for the exact same crime," she says.

Friedman Agnifilo also says that, in making a guilty plea today in federal court, Mangione has accepted "full responsibility" for the death of Brian Thompson.

Mangione endured "years of severe debilitating pain while struggling to navigate healthcare and insurance systems," she says, adding that he believed the system had "failed him and destroyed his life".

Because Mangione did not enter a plea deal when he plead guilty, prosecutors are free to "seek the maximum penalty under the law," Jamie McDonald, the US District Attorney for the Southern District of New York, says outside the courthouse.

“There are no accommodations or concessions,” McDonald adds.

A maximum sentence could mean life behind bars for Mangione.

There were reports in US media leading up to today's hearing that Mangione would be taking a plea deal.

That is not what happened - Mangione simply changed his plea of "not guilty" to "guilty".

Plea deals, which don't exist in the UK, often include an exchange where the defendant gets a lighter sentence, or charges are dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

There is none of that with this case, and Mangione could still face life in prison.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Now that Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty in federal court, he has waived the right to a trial.

Judge Garnett scheduled his sentencing hearing for 18 December. The maximum sentence for each of the two stalking charges is life in prison.

Prosecutors have recommended Mangione serve between 24-30 years in prison. But ultimately Judge Garnett will decide his sentence.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Today the court heard for the first time Mangione tell his story of committing the crime that has garnered worldwide attention.

"After years of enduring severe pains from a broken back," and dealing with the healthcare insurance industry, Mangione stated that he had learned UnitedHealthcare would hold an annual investor conference in Manhattan in December 2024.

He researched online and emailed the company, "posing as an investor," Mangione told the court. “Unlike previous interactions with insurance," he got a quick reply, Mangione said.

He told the court he used a 3D printer to make a gun.

And on the morning of 4 December 2024, Mangione confessed, "I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died."

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

"Mr Mangione, how do you now plead?” Judge Margaret Garnett asked the defendant before her.

Luigi Mangione leaned into the microphone before him and stated: "Guilty."

After a year-and-a-half of intense spectacle and legal wrangling, Mangione admitted to killing United Healthcare CEO in Manhattan in December 2024.

The judge had asked him a long series of questions to determine he was aware of what he was doing. Mangione assured her he was.

Meanwhile, Brian Thompson's family has just released the following statement: "Today's guilty plea marks an important step toward justice for Brian and for our family.

"While nothing will ease the pain of losing him, we are grateful that the federal justice system has held the person responsible for this heinous act accountable.

"Now we look to the court to ensure that sentencing reflects the severity of this crime.

"We remain mindful that additional proceedings in New York and Pennsylvania are still to come, and we will continue to seek the justice Brian deserves."

Mangione's lawyers are speaking to the media outside court. We'll bring you the latest.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from court

I've just come out of the hearing where Mangione pleaded guilty.

Judge Garnett asked Mangione a series of questions to determine that he is pleading guilty because he is guilty and ensure that he knows what pleading guilty means. He answers each questions with a simple "yes" or "no".

Mangione's lawyer says he did not strike a plea deal with the federal government.

Mangione then reads aloud a statement to the court. He admits to planning the attack on Brian Thompson ahead of time, travelling across state lines with the intent to kill, and 3-D printing parts of a gun that he then equipped with a silencer and magazine.

He also says he emailed UnitedHealthcare ahead of the investors event Thompson was attending, posing as an investor and asking questions about the event. Unlike past times he had exchanged emails with UHC, this time they responded right away, he says.

"On the morning of 4 December 2024", Mangione says, "I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died".

"I knew it was illegal," he later adds.

Despite this guilty plea to federal charges, Mangione still faces eight New York state charges, including second degree murder.

He has pleaded not guilty to all eight of those charges, and he is due to stand trial over them starting 8 September.

But this guilty plea in the federal case could have a cascading impact on the upcoming proceedings in state court.

It could open the door for defence lawyers to argue the state case runs afoul of double jeopardy – a US constitutional protection that prevents an individual from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.

Mangione has finished his statement.

Judge Garnett sets the sentencing date for 18 December, and the hearing is over, according to US media.

Luigi Mangione has pleaded guilty, according to US media in the courtroom.

Members of Brian Thompson's family began to cry in court as Mangione spoke, admitting he had killed the healthcare CEO, the BBC's US news partner CBS reports.

Luigi Mangione is reading a statement in court after the judge asks him to detail what he did that makes him guilty, US media inside the courtroom report.

He proceeds to give a detailed account of what led up to the shooting, and he ends it with a confession that he carried out the shooting.

"I shot Mr. Thompson... and he died," he says.

Mangione tells the court, "I shot Mr Thompson", according to reports from US media.

As the hearing continues, the family of Brian Thompson is in the courtroom listening.

Luigi Mangione is accused of killing Thompson, the United Healthcare chief executive, in New York in 2024.

Judge Margaret Garnett says Mangione is in a state to enter a plea, CNN reports.

Garnett swore Mangione in and asked him a series of questions to ensure he was in a fit mental state to enter this plea.

At the end of her questioning, she certified he was.