Luigi Mangione Abandons Psychiatric Defense in Murder Trial

WHO:

Fox News - Luigi Mangione is the accused in the murder case.

NBC News - Brian Thompson is the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was murdered.

WHAT:

Fox News - Luigi Mangione's legal team has officially withdrawn its intention to invoke a psychiatric defense in the state trial over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

NBC News - Documents filed show that Mangione's attorneys withdrew his psychiatric defense in the state murder trial on a Thursday.

CNN - The notice of withdrawal came in a court filing one day after a hearing where Mangione's attorneys had indicated they would argue a psychiatric defense.

ABC News - The withdrawal of the psychiatric defense was confirmed in a one-line letter sent to Judge Gregory Carro.

Fox News - Luigi Mangione's legal team has indicated they may resurrect the "extreme emotional disturbance" defense as the trial date approaches.

Fox News - Mangione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.

Fox News - The state trial is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with the federal trial expected to follow early next year.

Gothamist - Court records that were set to be unsealed will now remain sealed.

Fox News - Mangione is accused of meticulously plotting Thompson's assassination and traveling across the country to ambush him outside a business conference in New York City, where neither of them lived.

Fox News - Mangione allegedly wrote journals about the plot months before the murder.

NPR - Mangione's legal team stated in a one-line letter to Judge Gregory Carro that they "at this time" no longer intend to introduce psychiatric evidence during the trial.

NPR - Judge Gregory Carro ordered Mangione's attorneys to quickly share psychiatric information with prosecutors, emphasizing that he would not allow surprises on the eve of trial.

Fox News - Mangione's defense team has already won legal victories, including having terrorism-related charges dismissed, which could have led to life without parole in New York.

Fox News - The maximum punishment for a first-degree manslaughter conviction under New York law is 25 years in prison, compared to life in prison for murder.

Fox News - Luigi Mangione has abruptly scrapped the psychiatric defense he planned to use at his upcoming trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

NBC News - Documents filed show that Mangione's attorneys withdrew his psychiatric defense in the state murder trial.

CNN - The notice of withdrawal came in a court filing one day after a hearing where Mangione's attorneys indicated they would argue a psychiatric defense.

NY Post - Mangione's defense team plans to use an "extreme emotional disturbance" defense, which, if successful, could reduce a murder conviction to first-degree manslaughter under New York law.

Fox News - Luigi Mangione has withdrawn his psychiatric defense in the murder case.

CNN - Mangione's attorneys informed the judge that they would no longer argue he killed Thompson while suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance.

ABC News - Mangione's legal team officially withdrew its intention to invoke a psychiatric defense.

WHERE:

Gothamist - The court hearing took place in Manhattan Supreme Court, New York City.

Fox News - The murder occurred in Midtown Manhattan.

WHEN:

Fox News - The state trial is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with the federal trial to follow early next year.

Gothamist - The court hearing was on September 16, 2025.

Fox News - The state trial is scheduled to begin in September 2026.

Fox News - The federal trial is set to follow early next year.

WHY:

Fox News - The withdrawal of the psychiatric defense may impact Mangione's strategy in his federal trial.

HOW:

Fox News - The "extreme emotional disturbance" defense requires Mangione's lawyers to convince jurors that emotional distress caused an intense "loss of self-control," that there is a "reasonable" explanation for the distress, and that he was under this distress at the time of the murder.

Fox News - The "extreme emotional disturbance" defense requires Mangione's lawyers to convince jurors of three things at trial under New York law: that emotional distress caused an intense "loss of self-control," that there is a "reasonable" explanation for the distress, and that he was under this distress at the time of the murder.

Fox News - The psychiatric defense was intended to argue that Mangione suffered from extreme emotional distress at the time of the murder, which could reduce a murder conviction to first-degree manslaughter under New York law.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 23:16 UTC)

Luigi Mangione's legal team has officially withdrawn its intention to use a psychiatric defense in the state trial concerning the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. This decision was documented in a court filing, just one day after a hearing where Mangione's attorneys had initially suggested they would pursue that defense. The withdrawal was confirmed in a brief letter sent to Judge Gregory Carro.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 15:59 UTC)

Luigi Mangione's legal team is considering reviving the "extreme emotional disturbance" defense as his trial date approaches, where they will need to persuade jurors that emotional distress led to a significant loss of self-control during the alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. The state trial is set to begin in September 2026, with a federal trial expected to follow early next year. This defense requires Mangione's lawyers to provide a reasonable explanation for his emotional distress at the time of the incident.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 14:12 UTC)

Court records that were set to be unsealed will now remain sealed, adding a layer of complexity to an ongoing case. Mangione is accused of meticulously plotting the assassination of Thompson and traveling across the country to ambush him outside a business conference in New York City, where neither of them lived, with journals detailing the plot written months before the murder. To mount an "extreme emotional disturbance" defense, Mangione's lawyers will need to convince jurors that emotional distress led to a significant loss of self-control, that there is a reasonable explanation for this distress, and that he was experiencing it at the time of the murder.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 06:40 UTC)

In a recent development, Mangione's legal team informed Judge Gregory Carro that they no longer plan to introduce psychiatric evidence during the trial. Judge Carro has ordered the defense to promptly share any psychiatric information with prosecutors, stressing that he will not permit surprises as the trial approaches. It's worth noting that Mangione's defense has already achieved significant legal victories, including the dismissal of terrorism-related charges that could have resulted in life without parole in New York, while the maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter is 25 years in prison.

(UPDATED June 19, 2026 01:53 UTC)

Luigi Mangione has unexpectedly dropped the psychiatric defense he intended to use in his upcoming trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Instead, his defense team plans to pursue an "extreme emotional disturbance" strategy, which requires them to prove that emotional distress led to a significant loss of self-control at the time of the incident. The state trial is set to begin in September 2026, followed by a federal trial early next year.

(UPDATED June 18, 2026 23:32 UTC)

Luigi Mangione is the accused in the murder case of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, who was killed in Midtown Manhattan. Recently, Mangione's legal team withdrew their psychiatric defense, which had aimed to argue that he acted under extreme emotional distress, a strategy that could have potentially reduced a murder conviction to first-degree manslaughter. The state trial is scheduled to begin in September 2026, followed by a federal trial early next year.