Luigi Mangione’s fan admits ‘relief’ hearing him confess to killing as healthcare CEO’s family weeps listening to plea
There was a sense of bittersweetness in Abril Rios as she stood outside of the Thurgood Marshall federal courthouse in Manhattan Friday afternoon, just moments after Luigi Mangione pleaded guilty and admitted shooting former UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
On one hand, the man that Rios and the other self-proclaimed “Mangionistas” had made the center of their movement was admitting to a violent crime. On the other hand, she anticipated hearing the words eventually.
“It felt, for me, like a little bit of a relief to hear it,” Rios told The Independent.
Just moments earlier, inside the courtroom, Mangione, 28, reversed his plea in the federal case against him, and conceded to what could amount to a life sentence for stalking that resulted in Thompson’s death in 2024 as he walked to an investors conference in New York City. Mangione was charged with both state and federal counts after the shooting.
Rios and other Mangione supporters listened, some in disbelief, as Mangione explained how he targeted Thompson in response to years of pent-up frustration at the healthcare insurance industry. Seated just rows away, Thompson’s family, in a rare court appearance, wept.
“On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan in his back and he died,” Mangione stated clearly and slowly.
Thompson’s family leaned on one another and wiped away tears as Mangione recalled the shooting. Pat Thompson, the mother of Brian Thompson, shook with grief and leaned her head against her other son, Mark Thompson.
“I knew what I was doing was illegal,” Mangione stated.
Paulette Thompson, the wife of Brian Thompson, took several deep breaths while listening to Mangione. A woman sitting next to Paulette put a comforting arm around her at several points.
The Thompson family has remained far from the spotlight since Thompson was shot as he went to attend UnitedHealthcare’s annual investor event. In a rare public statement, after the plea hearing, they called the results “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 the sentencing reflects the severity of this crime,” the Thompson family added.
Mangione told the court that he became angry with the healthcare insurance system after suffering from a broken back. Feelings of disgruntlement had built up inside him for years until eventually spilling over into his planned attack.
He recalled using a 3D printer to build a gun part and attaching a silencer to the firearm so he could shoot Thompson discreetly.
Several UnitedHealthcare executives, who attended the guilty plea hearing, shook their heads in disbelief as Mangione described researching the company’s annual investor event and posing as an investor to obtain the event’s exact location from the company’s itself.
