Luigi Mangione to Use Psychiatric Defence in State Murder Trial

Wed Jun 17 2026 19:59:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Luigi Mangione’s lawyers will argue an extreme emotional disturbance in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, potentially reducing a murder charge to manslaughter.

In a state murder trial over the December 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione’s defense plans to present a psychiatric defence based on extreme emotional disturbance. Judge Gregory Carro will unseal court records related to the strategy. If the defence succeeds, Mangione could be convicted of manslaughter instead of murder. The state trial is scheduled to begin on 8 September while federal stalking charges remain in play.

Luigi Mangione to Use Psychiatric Defence in State Murder Trial

Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with murder over the December 4, 2024 shooting of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson, will argue a psychiatric defence, saying he was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the incident.

Judge Gregory Carro announced that court records relating to the defence’s strategy will be unsealed, allowing the public to see the details of the psychiatric argument. If the jury accepts the claim, Mangione could be convicted of manslaughter rather than murder.

Mangione, a 2020 Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, pleaded not guilty to both federal and state charges. The state trial is set to begin on September 8, while federal stalking charges still carry a potential life sentence.

The murder and firearms charges against him were dropped earlier this year, but the case remains a high‑profile headline in New York’s criminal courts. The shooting occurred as Thompson walked into a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference, and he was shot from behind by a masked gunman.