Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is expected to plead guilty at a hearing Friday in Manhattan federal court, according to sources familiar with the planned hearing. It comes weeks before his state trial was set to begin. Defense lawyers, a court spoke sperson and Department of Justice spokespeople all declined comment, except to confirm Mangione’s 11 a.m. hearing. The sources familiar with the matter stressed plea negotiations are ongoing, and nothing is final until Mangione officially enters into any plea deal. To date, Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges. A source familiar with the matter says Mangione met with his lawyers Thursday morning at the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of Friday’s federal court hearing in Manhattan. The plea talks were ongoing and Mangione can choose to accept or reject any deal or offer at any time, sources said. NBC New York first reported on Tuesday on the possibility of a plea deal unfolding at Friday’s hearing. Earlier in June, NBC New York first reported plea talks were underway. The details of the possible plea deal are not yet known, but they mark a conclusion of the Midtown saga nearly 21 months after the healthcare executive was gunned down on a midtown sidewalk. The deal is likely to result in the state criminal charges getting thrown out because of New York’s double jeopardy rules. The Department of Justice previously had sought the death penalty in the federal case, but an appeals court ruling took that option off the table earlier in the year. The federal trial had been scheduled to start in January 2027, with the state trial getting underway with jury selection in just a few weeks, on Sept. 8. The killing set off a nationwide conversation about the health insurance industry and focused national attention on Mangione, who was decried by some as a violent extremist and defended by others as an avatar for rage over the insurance industry. Federal prosecutors brought four charges against Mangione, including two terror-related murder charges that were later dismissed by a New York district judge. He still faced weapon and stalking charges heading toward the start of the trial. Crime and Courts Jun 17 Luigi Mangione will assert psychiatric defense in state's murder case Crime and Courts Jan 30 No death penalty for Luigi Mangione in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, judge rules Thompson, 50, was killed as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. Thompson worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021. Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan. At the May 18 hearing, Carro ruled that a gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Mangione to the killing can be used as evidence against him. The gun, a 3D-printed pistol, matches the one used to kill Thompson, prosecutors said. The notebook describes wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and rebelling against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.” The Associated Press contributed to this reporting. ...read more read less