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.
One of the executives kept his gaze down, at times appearing to hold back tears. Another held his face in his hands while listening to Mangione’s steady voice definitively state the facts without a hint of apprehension.
“Brian Thompson’s life was cut short by an act of violence that devastated everyone who knew and loved him,” UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, said in a statement. “We are grateful to law enforcement for bringing Brian’s murderer to justice, and our thoughts remain with Brian’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
But spectators, sitting on the edge of their seats in the courtroom, appeared baffled that Mangione was admitting to shooting Thompson.
One woman, seated in the back row, contorted her face in incredulity as Mangione agreed to his potential prison sentence, giving up his right to appeal and serving at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for supervised release.
She held her hands up in exasperation as Mangione gave his final verbal agreement to the judge, accepting his fate.
Rios, a strong Mangione supporter, said she knew a guilty plea was a possibility from the start.
But still, she admitted, “It was pretty surreal to hear it coming out of his mouth.”
Since the day Thompson was fatally shot outside of a midtown Manhattan hotel, there has been massive public interest in the case and Mangione himself. From the days-long multi-state manhunt to Mangione’s arrest; the infamous New York City perp walk to uncovering details about Mangione’s past.
At court hearings, the “Mangionistas” and other Mangione fans have gathered to support the 28-year-old, believing his violent actions helped raise awareness for the U.S.’s fault-ridden health insurance system. Other fans have donated more than $1.5 million to Mangione’s legal defense fund. They’ve sent him letters of support to jail. Many show up to court in Mangione merch.
On social media, people flatter Mangione for his appearance and joke about his actions motivated by frustration.
They came in droves to support him in his early court appearance with signs saying to free him and professing their support.
But Friday, none of Mangione’s fans appeared to be wearing “Free Luigi” shirts or holding signs in support. The public obsession around the killing was visibly diminished Friday.
Spectators who had excitedly murmured about the potential results of the hearing before it began, left the courthouse silently – some covering their faces from cameras. The woman who had animatedly reacted to Mangione’s guilty plea shrugged her shoulders, while walking out of the courtroom.
Standing less than three miles from the exact location where Mangione fatally shot Thompson in December 2024, Rios said she would continue to support Mangione and hoped that the situation would raise awareness for healthcare insurance reform.
“I hope people continue to question our current predicament, continue to question why these systems make our life so hard, why it would turn someone to do something like this,” Rios said.
She added: “And maybe we can find better solutions so that there’s no more deaths in the healthcare industry.”
