Luigi Mangione will use psychiatric defense in state murder trial
by Lisa Hornung · UPIJune 17 (UPI) -- Luigi Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will assert in the state case against him that he was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the shooting.
If he's convicted, he could serve his time in a state psychiatric facility instead of prison.
Mangione, 28, is accused of murder in the shooting death of Thompson in December 2024 as Thompson, 50, was on his way to an investors' meeting. Mangione was arrested five days later in an Altoona, Pa., McDonald's. He faces a federal case and state charges.
A federal judge ruled in January that Mangione will not face the death penalty, and New York doesn't have capital punishment.
New York Judge Gregory Carro said he would unseal a notice from September about the affirmative psychiatric defense and emotional disturbance, NBC News reported. He also told defense attorneys they must submit documentation about the psychiatric defense by Thursday.
Carro also dismissed a charge of possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine, ABC News reported.
In May, Carro ruled that some evidence will be excluded including a handgun magazine, cell phone, passport, wallet and computer chip. The alleged murder weapon and a notebook, which were found in a later search of Mangione's backpack, can be used as evidence.
Mangione was scheduled for a hearing Tuesday, but a paperwork error backed the hearing up to Wednesday. Prosecutors said they were responsible for the delay.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about restoring commercial fishing access to areas of the Pacific during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo