Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Drop Psychiatric Defense

UPDATE Jun 18, 2026 5:16 PM CDT

In an unexplained reversal, Luigi Mangione's lawyers told a judge in Manhattan on Thursday that he will no longer be presenting a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Just the day before, the lawyers had told Judge Gregory Carro that they planned to pursue a defense involving claims that the 28-year-old Ivy League graduate was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the December 2024 killing, the AP reports. Thursday was the deadline for Mangione's defense team to turn over information to support the emotional disturbance claim to prosecutors.

Jun 17, 2026 9:28 AM CDT

Luigi Mangione will assert a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge said Wednesday. Judge Gregory Carro said Mangione's lawyers have informed him they will attempt to show that he was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the occurrence." If they succeed, Mangione could be sent to a psychiatric treatment facility instead of prison, reports the AP.

Carro's ruling came two weeks after he held a secret hearing on the matter at the request of the defense. He said he will unseal records pertaining to the hearing and the defense's motion for a psychiatric defense. Mangione, who sat between his lawyers on Wednesday wearing a blue suit and a light-colored button-down shirt, is set to go to trial on Sept. 8. The 28-year-old has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the Dec. 4, 2024, killing. His federal trial, which involves stalking charges, is set to begin on Oct. 13. He could spend his life in prison if convicted in either case.

Also Wednesday, Carro dismissed a charge related to a gun magazine that he had ruled inadmissible because it was found during an initial search of Mangione's backpack at the McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested five days after Thompson's death. At a 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.