Luigi Mangione plans to assert a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial after he was accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
New York Judge Gregory Carro said on Wednesday, June 17, that Mangione’s lawyers informed him they will attempt to show a jury that he was suffering from “extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the occurrence,” according to the Associated Press.
If the defense is successful, Mangione’s murder charge would be reduced to first-degree manslaughter, which carries a maximum of 25 years in prison. (It is different than a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, which would send him to a psychiatric facility rather than prison.)
Carro shared the update two weeks after he held a secret hearing about the new argument. He said he will unseal redacted records pertaining to the June 3 hearing, as well as the defense’s move to take a psychiatric defense in the case.
“The reasons for the sealing was to give the defense an opportunity to determine whether they were going forth with that defense and the nature of that defense,” Carro said.
Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued that unsealing the transcript from the secret hearing and the materials they plan to use in the psychiatric defense will ultimately harm her client in his federal case.
“The reason why we asked for the sealing is that this defense is not available federally and Mr. Mangione is being prosecuted federally and this is prejudicial to his defense to the exact same facts,” she said, per the outlet.
Also during Wednesday’s hearing, Carro dismissed a charge related to a gun magazine. He said that the charge was inadmissible because it was found during an initial search of Mangione’s backpack at the time he was arrested.
The judge ordered Mangione’s legal team to turn over information regarding his psychiatric condition no later than Thursday, June 18, so that prosecutors can have their own expert evaluate him.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in connection to the December 4, 2024, killing of Thompson, 50. His state trial is scheduled to begin on September 8, while his federal trial is set to begin on October 13.
The former Ivy League student is facing several charges, including second-degree murder, various criminal possession of a weapon counts and criminal possession of a forged instrument in the New York state case. Meanwhile, his federal case will focus on his charge of two counts of interstate stalking.
Mangione currently faces the potential of life in prison if he is found guilty in either case.
Thompson was fatally shot while he was walking to a Manhattan hotel to attend UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance footage captured the shooting, which showed the gunman using a weapon with “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on the ammunition. The words seemingly mimicked a phrase that has been used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, who had gone off the grid for months prior to the incident, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
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