A New York state murder trial is expected to begin next month

Luigi Mangione attends a pretrial appearance on Tuesday at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and is facing state murder charges.

Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing a UnitedHealthcare executive, pled guilty to federal stalking charges ahead of a high-profile state murder trial in New York set to begin next month.

Mangione entered his plea Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where he is facing two stalking charges resulting in death of UnitedHealthcare $(UNH)$ CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. Mangione is also facing a murder charge in New York state.

"On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan," Mangione said Friday during the court hearing, according to the Wall Street Journal.

He told the judge that he had contacted the company before its annual investor conference, posing as an investor at a firm with $50 million in assets, the Journal reported.

The shooting caused widespread concern about corporate executive safety, including at other health-insurance companies. A month after the shooting, none of the executive teams at other health-insurance companies attended a popular healthcare investor conference in San Francisco. The shooting also led to a surge in public criticism about the role of health-insurance companies in limiting or denying medical care.

Mangione is set to be sentenced in December.

The New York state trial is expected to begin next month. Mangione's lawyer has asked the state to dismiss its charges, citing double-jeopardy protections.

-Jaimy Lee