But this hearing would change that with one simple sentence.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the morning of December 4, 2024, I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and he died,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI knew what I was doing was illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n
The killing of Thompson \u2013 gunned down on a Manhattan street \u2013 shocked the US and triggered a manhunt that ended with Mangione\u2019s arrest in a Pennsylvania fast-food restaurant. But it also sparked an outpouring of public anger and rage at the actions of the US\u2019s widely reviled for-profit healthcare industry.<\/p>\n
Many assumed that as Mangione went on trial, so perhaps would an entire industry, as the defense might seek to explain his actions. But the guilty plea \u2013 in the federal case against him at least \u2013 has ended that prospect.<\/p>\n
Much of the emotional proceeding, which saw both members of Thompson\u2019s family and some Mangione supporters crying in the gallery, involved Judge Margaret Garnett engaging in the standard questioning judges use to determine whether someone is capable of admitting guilt.<\/p>\n
Was Mangione ever treated or hospitalized for any kind of mental illness? Was he under the care of a doctor or mental health professional? Had he been treated for any sort of addiction?<\/p>\n
Mangione answered \u201cno\u201d to all these questions.<\/p>\n
Garnett asked whether he had taken anything in the last two days and Mangione said yes: trazodone, \u201cfor sleeping\u201d.<\/p>\n
Garnett then queried Mangione on whether anyone had made any promises \u2013 or threats \u2013 to induce him into pleading guilty. He said no.<\/p>\n
Then came the moment many observers had long waited for: Mangione would have to describe what happened, in his own words, potentially shedding light on the grisly slaying.<\/p>\n
Mangione said that \u201cafter years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others\u201d, he learned that UnitedHealthcare would hold its annual investor conference on 4 December 2024.<\/p>\n
The specific location wasn\u2019t publicly disclosed, Mangione said, so \u201cI then researched the event online\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI observed that the annual conference of America\u2019s largest healthcare organization with the stated mission to make health \u2013 excuse me \u2013 with the stated mission to make the health system work better for everyone, would be attended by company executives, the board of directors and hundreds of investors, not doctors, nurses and patients,\u201d Mangione said.<\/p>\n
Mangione then told the court that in November of that year, he traveled into Manhattan and engaged in subterfuge to get more information.<\/p>\n
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