Luigi Mangione, who is facing prosecution for allegedly fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024, will plead guilty to charges related to the shooting.

Mangione initially pleaded not guilty after several key court decisions in his case.

From NBC News:

Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty on Friday to federal charges in connection with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The expected plea change comes less than a month before Mangione, 28, is scheduled to go to trial in a state murder case in connection with the death of Thompson.

Lawyers for Mangione declined to comment. The Justice Department and a court spokesperson also declined to comment.

It is unclear if Mangione will plead guilty to one or both of the two stalking-related charges in his federal case. While details of Mangione’s plea are not immediately clear, he could reverse his decision at any time, even during the hearing.

Sources familiar with the matter stressed that plea negotiations are ongoing and that nothing is final until Mangione himself accepts or enters into a plea deal.

If he is convicted, he could face a life sentence.

A state judge in May ruled that prosecutors could use a gun and notebook recovered from Mangione’s backpack during trial. His defense argued that police did not follow proper procedure in searching him after his arrest and violated his due process rights.

The New York Times reported that U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett in June delayed the federal trial until January 2027 and said she had hoped “with perhaps undue optimism” for a fall start but that “we can no longer wait to see what happens” in the state case.

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In the same month, Mangione’s attorneys abandoned plans to use a psychiatric defense. 

Plea negotiations have been underway over the remaining stalking charges. Both sides requested a last-minute conference in federal court set to take place on Friday, which sparked speculation about a possible plea deal.