Luigi Mangione

Luigi Nicholas Mangione
Born:	May 6, 1998 Towson, Maryland
Charges:	Two counts of interstate stalking (federal, charged); second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a forged instrument (New York, charged); carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, false identification, possessing an instrument of crime (Pennsylvania, charged)
Sentence:	None; awaiting trial
Facility:	Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn
Status:	In federal custody, awaiting trial

Luigi Nicholas Mangione (born May 6, 1998) is an American man charged in three separate jurisdictions in connection with the December 4, 2024, shooting death of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare. He has pleaded not guilty to every count and has not been convicted of any offense. He is presumed innocent.

Thompson, 50, was shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on the morning of December 4, 2024. A five-day search ended on December 9, when Mangione was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Prosecutors in three places brought cases against him. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged him in connection with the killing. New York State prosecutors charged him in Manhattan. Pennsylvania authorities charged him with gun and identification offenses tied to the arrest.

Two of the charges against him have narrowed since 2024. In January 2026, a federal judge dismissed the two death-eligible counts in the federal indictment, and the Justice Department later declined to appeal that ruling. In September 2025, a New York judge dismissed the state terrorism and first-degree murder counts while leaving a second-degree murder charge in place. Mangione is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His federal trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on October 5, 2026.

Background

Early life and family

Mangione was born on May 6, 1998, in Towson, Maryland, to Kathleen Mangione and Louis Mangione. He grew up in a wealthy family with roots in Baltimore's Italian American community. His paternal grandfather, Nicholas Mangione, built a regional business that included country clubs, an assisted living company, and a radio station.

The family owns the Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland, and Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, Maryland. A family foundation holds nearly $4.5 million in assets and has long supported Loyola University Maryland, which named its aquatic center after the family. A cousin, Nino Mangione, serves in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Education

Mangione attended the Gilman School, a private all-boys preparatory school in the Baltimore area. He played soccer, ran track, competed in cross country, and wrestled. He taught himself to program and co-founded a small gaming app company while in high school. He graduated as valedictorian in 2016 and delivered a commencement speech on artificial intelligence and technology.

He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering, with a computer science focus, from the University of Pennsylvania, finishing in May 2020. During his freshman year he started a video game development club that grew to more than 50 members. In a 2017 interview with the campus newspaper, he said he wanted the club to be open to everyone and to ease the university's competitive culture.

Career and health

After graduating, Mangione worked as a data engineer at TrueCar, Inc., an online car marketplace, beginning in November 2020. He left the company in 2023. He moved to Hawaii and lived at Surfbreak, a co-living space, while working remotely. He spent free time hiking, stargazing, and reading.

He suffered a lower back injury while surfing. Friends later said his chronic pain isolated him over time. In the months before the shooting, several people said they had lost contact with him.

The Shooting and Arrest

Brian Thompson was walking toward the New York Hilton Midtown on the morning of December 4, 2024, where UnitedHealthcare's annual investor conference was scheduled. At about 6:45 a.m., a masked gunman approached from behind and fired several times with a pistol fitted with a suppressor. Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai West, where he was pronounced dead. The gunman fled on foot, then by bicycle, and rode into Central Park before leaving the area.

Investigators recovered shell casings at the scene bearing the words "delay," "deny," and what appeared to be "depose." Those words are associated with insurance claim denial practices. The New York Police Department released surveillance images and offered a reward for information.

On December 9, 2024, a manager at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, recognized Mangione from the circulated photographs and called police. Officers said they found him with a mask similar to one in the surveillance footage, a fraudulent New Jersey identification card, a handwritten document expressing grievances with the healthcare industry, and a firearm. Prosecutors allege the firearm was a 3D-printed weapon fitted with a suppressor and that it was used in the shooting. Mangione has not been convicted and is presumed innocent of the allegations.

Charges

Mangione faces charges in three jurisdictions. He has pleaded not guilty in each.

Federal

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York returned a four-count indictment. It charged two counts of interstate stalking and two firearm-related counts, one of which was a death-eligible charge of murder through use of a firearm. The Justice Department initially directed prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

On January 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the two death-eligible counts. She ruled that the stalking charges did not qualify as a crime of violence and so could not serve as the predicate needed to make the killing a capital offense. The ruling removed the possibility of the death penalty in the federal case. On February 27, 2026, federal prosecutors notified the court that they would not appeal the ruling.

Mangione still faces two counts of interstate stalking in the federal case. Each count carries a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without parole. He has pleaded not guilty.

New York State

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Mangione with first-degree murder as an act of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, a separate count of second-degree murder, several counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione pleaded not guilty.

On September 16, 2025, Justice Gregory Carro dismissed the first-degree murder count and the second-degree murder count framed as an act of terrorism. He ruled that employees of a single company did not constitute a "civilian population" under the state terrorism statute and that the evidence did not establish a goal of intimidating or coercing the public. The court let the remaining second-degree murder count stand, along with the weapons and forged-instrument counts. Reporting indicated the state trial was tentatively set to begin in September 2026.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania authorities charged Mangione in connection with the December 9, 2024, arrest in Altoona. The charges included carrying a firearm without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to law enforcement, possessing an instrument of crime, and providing a false identification to an officer. Mangione has not been convicted of these charges. Reporting indicated a Pennsylvania trial would be scheduled in 2026.

Detention and Proceedings

Mangione is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal facility that holds pretrial detainees. An April 2026 report described him as among recent residents of 4 North, a high-security unit at the facility.

Mangione's attorneys filed motions to suppress evidence gathered during the Altoona arrest. They argued that police improperly seized items from his backpack and questioned him before reading him his Miranda rights. Federal suppression hearings concluded in December 2025.

In her January 30, 2026, order, Judge Garnett declined to suppress the evidence taken from the backpack. The ruling allows federal prosecutors to introduce items including the firearm and the writings they have described in court filings. The same order dismissed the death-eligible counts.

The federal trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on October 5, 2026, and opening statements on October 26, 2026. Reporting indicated the New York State trial was tentatively set to begin in September 2026, and a Pennsylvania trial was expected during 2026. As of June 2026, Mangione is awaiting trial in each case and has been convicted of nothing.

Public Response

The case drew a large public response. Many people condemned the killing. Others voiced sympathy framed as protest against the healthcare and insurance industries. Social media posts in support of Mangione spread widely. An online fund for his legal defense raised more than $900,000 by mid-April 2025.

The case became a focal point for debate about healthcare costs, insurance claim denials, and public frustration with large corporations. Commentators noted the unusual degree of public sympathy expressed toward a defendant in a homicide case. Coverage continued through the 2025 and 2026 court hearings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Luigi Mangione charged with?

Mangione is charged in three jurisdictions in connection with the December 2024 death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and he has pleaded not guilty to every count. In the federal case, he faces two counts of interstate stalking after a judge dismissed two firearm counts in January 2026. In New York, he faces a second-degree murder count along with weapons and forged-instrument counts, after a judge dismissed the terrorism-related murder charges in September 2025. In Pennsylvania, he faces gun, forgery, and false-identification charges tied to his arrest. He has not been convicted of any offense.

Q: Is Luigi Mangione facing the death penalty?

No. In January 2026, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed the two death-eligible federal counts, ruling that the stalking charges could not serve as the predicate for a capital charge. In February 2026, federal prosecutors said they would not appeal that ruling. The remaining federal stalking counts each carry a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without parole. The New York and Pennsylvania charges do not carry the death penalty.

Q: Has Luigi Mangione been convicted?

No. As of June 2026, Mangione is awaiting trial in all three cases and has not been convicted of any charge. He has pleaded not guilty in each jurisdiction and is presumed innocent.

Q: Where is Luigi Mangione being held?

Mangione is held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, a federal facility that holds pretrial detainees. He is in federal custody while awaiting trial.

Q: When is Luigi Mangione's trial?

His federal trial is scheduled to begin with jury selection on October 5, 2026, and opening statements on October 26, 2026. Reporting has indicated the New York State trial was tentatively set for September 2026, and a Pennsylvania trial was expected during 2026. Dates remain subject to court scheduling.

Q: What happened to the New York terrorism charges?

On September 16, 2025, Justice Gregory Carro dismissed the first-degree murder count and the terrorism-framed second-degree murder count. He ruled that employees of one company did not constitute a "civilian population" under the state terrorism statute. A separate second-degree murder count and the weapons and forged-instrument counts remain pending. Mangione has pleaded not guilty.

Q: Why has the case drawn public attention?

The case became a flashpoint for debate about healthcare costs, insurance claim denials, and frustration with large corporations. Some members of the public expressed sympathy for Mangione framed as protest, and an online legal defense fund raised more than $900,000 by mid-April 2025. Many others condemned the killing. The proceedings remain ongoing.