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Defense strategy shifts
Luigi Mangione’s legal team withdrew its plan to pursue a psychiatric defense in his New York state trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with a court filing saying, "The defense respectfully withdraws CPL § 250.10 notice at this time."
“Luigi Mangione's legal team withdraws intention to invoke psychiatric defense The update comes a day after they announced it in court”
The withdrawal came after Mangione’s lawyers had told Judge Gregory Carro they would argue the 28-year-old was suffering an "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of Thompson’s killing on 4 December 2024.
Carro had set a deadline for the defense to provide prosecutors with information to support the emotional disturbance claim, and the withdrawal meant Mangione no longer had to turn over records of his psychiatric history to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, and his state trial is scheduled to start on 8 September while his federal trial is set to begin on 13 October.
Judge keeps records sealed
Judge Gregory Carro said that after the defense’s withdrawal, "the court's previous order sealing certain transcripts, emails, and documents, remains in effect," as court documents memorializing the legal strategy would no longer be unsealed.
The defense had previously argued that raising an extreme emotional disturbance defense would require Mangione to concede he committed the crime, and Karen Friedman Agnifilo said, "If a defendant goes with an [extreme emotional disturbance] defense, they're essentially admitting publicly that they committed this crime."
CBS News reported that legal expert Richard Schoenstein said asserting the psychiatric defense would effectively admit to killing Thompson with mitigating circumstances, while the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.
In the same case, Carro had also agreed to dismiss one of the criminal counts related to possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, and Mangione’s next court date was listed as Aug. 11 before the state trial begins in September.
What changes for sentencing
The withdrawn psychiatric defense would have reduced the charge from murder to manslaughter if a jury accepted it, and ABC News said the defense would have allowed a conviction of manslaughter instead of murder.
“Luigi Mangione, the man suspected of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, will argue a psychiatric defence during his trial”
The Guardian described the sentencing consequence as a manslaughter conviction being punishable by up to 25 years in prison instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.
CNN reported that experts had previously told the outlet a psychiatric defense would be challenging but likely Mangione’s best argument given the strength of the evidence against him, and it quoted Gary Galperin calling the shift in strategy "stunning."
With the defense withdrawn, the case moves forward with Mangione still facing state murder and weapons charges and federal stalking charges, with the state trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 8 and the federal trial set to begin in October.
