Luigi Mangione’s behind the scenes plea discussions revealed in unsealed court transcript

By Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — Newly unsealed court transcripts reveal behind the scenes discussions taking place weeks before Luigi Mangione ultimately pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges tied to the murder of the chief executive of United Healthcare.

The transcripts of two court hearings confirm that Mangione was on the cusp of pleading guilty to federal charges in late June. They also shed new light on the timeline as Mangione’s lawyers sought to engage in private talks to resolve the federal case while publicly moving forward to a potential trial on state charges.

Prosecutors say Mangione stalked Brian Thompson to a healthcare conference in Manhattan in December 2024 and fatally shot him outside the hotel where it was being held.

The 28-year-old Mangione ultimately pleaded guilty to federal stalking charges on August 14, less than a month before jury selection was set to begin in his state murder case.

Judge Margaret Garnett, who is overseeing the federal case, initially sealed the transcripts from the hearings on June 12 and August 6, but ordered them unsealed after Mangione pleaded guilty. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18.

During the June 12 emergency hearing, Mangione’s lead attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilio asked the judge to postpone a court date and some deadlines in the federal case “because we are fully anticipating that we would like to enter a change in plea,” according to the unsealed transcript.

“We’re hoping to do it not next week but the week after, just because we need a little more time to get our client ready, to talk to the family, and we realize we have a court appearance next week also in the state court case,” she said. “We also were hoping to not signal publicly that there’s going to be a change in plea to the docket too soon.”

Garnett agreed to seal the hearing.

“The fact that we’re discussing a possibility of a guilty plea in an extremely high profile case, where the victim’s family and the defendant’s family has yet to consider the full consideration and discussion that they’re entitled to from respective counsel, I want to make sure that nothing happens that affects that process; and the victim’s family, as well as Mr. Mangione’s family, and Mr. Mangione himself having appropriate time to privately and fully consider the circumstances of a possible change in plea,” Garnett said, according to the transcript.

During the hearing in the state case the following week, Mangione’s attorneys revealed that he would invoke a psychiatric defense at trial. Under that defense, Mangione would admit to shooting Thompson, but say it was during a state of extreme emotional disturbance. The next day, without explanation, his attorneys withdrew those plans.

CNN and other news outlets reported in late June that Mangione held plea talks with federal prosecutors but the unsealed transcripts indicate the issue advanced enough to bring it to the federal judge. There was no information in the transcript as to why the plea did not come to fruition until nearly two months later.

On August 6, a few days before Mangione’s final pretrial conference in his state murder case, his attorneys met again in secret with prosecutors and the federal judge. Garnett stated she wasn’t sure what the hearing was about, but sealed it so it would not prejudice jury selection in his state case, which was set to begin on September 8, according to the transcript.

Prosecutor Dominic Gentile said his understanding was Mangione wanted to plead guilty and proposed holding a hearing on August 14, according to the transcript.

Friedman Agnifilio told the judge, “We think we will have a better sense of whether or not this is actually happening in the coming days, but most likely next week.”

The following Tuesday, on August 11, Mangione appeared in state court for his final pretrial conference. Hours after the brief court appearance, Judge Garnett scheduled a hearing in the federal case for later that week on August 14, when Mangione ultimately pleaded guilty.

“Given our previous iteration of the situation, my preference would be not to docket this conference or unseal the transcript unless and until a plea has been entered and accepted by the Court. As I said, of course, there is a presumptive public right of access to any criminal proceeding, but given the imminence of the defendant’s state trial, I just am very concerned,” Garnett said during the sealed hearing, according to the transcript.

After his guilty plea, Mangione’s lawyers moved to dismiss the state charges on double jeopardy grounds. Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said they are committed to bringing justice to Thompson’s family. The state trial is on hold until the judge overseeing that case decides the motion. Mangione is due in state court on December 10.

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