Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the 28‑year‑old charged with shooting UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, have pulled the psychiatric defence tactic that had been plotted for the state murder trial.
Earlier in the week, Mangione’s team had told Judge Gregory Carro that they intended to demonstrate he was suffering from “extreme emotional disturbance” at the time of the shooting—a claim that could have led to a manslaughter conviction and a lighter, more lenient sentence.
The last‑minute change came after Mangione appeared in court on Wednesday, as the judge guided him through the psychiatric defence plan. Jones, with a Thursday deadline to submit psychiatric evidence to the Manhattan district attorney, had to retract the strategy two days later.
By ditching the psychiatric defence, Mangione is staying on the more conventional route of a murder trial that carries the maximum possible prison term. Had he pursued the psychiatric argument, the jury could have found him guilty of manslaughter, reducing his possible state sentence.
Mangione is also facing federal stalking charges that could carry a life sentence if he were convicted. He remained in the court of Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which declined to comment on the case.
The defendant’s next hearing is scheduled for 11 August, with the state trial slated to commence on 8 September.
He was arrested the week after Thompson, a 50‑year‑old father of two, was shot from behind by a masked gunman on 4 December 2024 as he entered a Midtown Manhattan hotel for an annual investor conference.
