A 28‑year‑old suspect in a violent murder case has dropped a psychiatric defence that his attorneys were preparing for a state trial. Luigi Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty in both federal and state proceedings over the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, announced that the lawyers would no longer argue that he was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the shooting.
The reversal came after a brief exchange with Judge Gregory Carro in Manhattan Criminal Court. The defense team had originally mentioned that the psychiatric argument could help the jury see the incident as manslaughter rather than murder. The approach would have required Mangione to admit that he killed Thompson under mitigating circumstances, a strategy distinct from pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, which usually seeks a different outcome.
If the psychiatric defence were accepted, Mangione might have faced a less severe sentence, with a potential convict of manslaughter yielding a shorter custodial term. However, forgoing the defence keeps the case in the realm of a straightforward murder charge, which carries a maximum 75‑year sentence in New York.
Mangione's court dates remain crowded: he was held earlier this week in front of Judge Carro and the next appearance is scheduled for 11 August, with the state trial opening on 8 September. He also faces federal stalking charges that could impose a life sentence.
The case stems from an incident in December 2024 where Thompson was shot from behind by an armed, masked individual while entering a hotel in Manhattan for an investor conference. Mangione was arrested soon after and is now the subject of two federal and state prosecutions.
