Luigi Mangione is reportedly weighing a move that could either save him from a life sentence or backfire spectacularly — and sources say he might change his mind at the very last second.
The 28-year-old accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is expected to enter a guilty plea during a Friday morning court appearance, but insiders warn he could still get cold feet before or even during the hearing, according to The Post.
If Mangione pleads guilty in his federal case, his legal team would then try to get his state charges tossed using New York’s double jeopardy protections — arguing he can’t be tried twice for the same crime.
But legal experts say that strategy is far from a sure thing, and could actually make things worse for him.
Even if he succeeds in quashing the state case, Mangione could still face life in federal prison. Prosecutors are expected to push for the maximum sentence, and the final call would rest with US District Judge Margaret Garnett.
“Their philosophy is probably, ‘It cannot get any worse,’” defense lawyer and former Brooklyn prosecutor Seth Zuckerman told The Post, describing Mangione’s possible legal thinking.
Mangione is charged federally with stalking Thompson, not murder, but that charge alone carries a potential life sentence. In the state case, he faces up to life for second-degree murder and weapons possession.
His lawyers reportedly met with him Thursday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to discuss the plea.
One possible upside for Mangione: pleading guilty in federal court could land him in a federal prison instead of a New York state lockup. Defendants often prefer federal facilities, according to criminal defense attorney Julie Rendelman, a former high-ranking prosecutor.
But there’s a major risk. If the Manhattan DA’s office fights to keep its state case alive, prosecutors could use Mangione’s federal guilty plea as evidence against him in state court, legal experts say.
Mangione’s team might point to a 2019 Manhattan judge’s ruling that tossed a state mortgage fraud case against Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds after he was already convicted federally.
Prosecutors allege Mangione wrote a “manifesto” describing health insurance companies as a “deadly, greed-fueled” cartel and justifying the killing of Thompson outside a Midtown investor conference in December 2024.
The Maryland prep school grad was arrested after a five-day manhunt ended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
With the Friday hearing looming and the stakes impossibly high, will Mangione actually go through with it — or will he pull back at the last moment?
