Mangione to use ‘psychiatric defense’ in CEO murder trial, judge says
Luigi Mangione has dropped the psychiatric defense that had been poised to play a major role in his upcoming New York state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to court filings obtained Thursday.
Defense attorneys notified Judge Gregory Carro in a brief, one-sentence letter that they were withdrawing an earlier notice indicating Mangione planned to pursue a psychiatric-based defense in the state case. The filing did not provide a reason for the change in strategy.
The reversal comes after earlier proceedings suggested the defense intended to argue that Mangione was suffering from an extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the alleged December 2024 killing. That approach had raised the possibility that, if successful, Mangione could receive psychiatric treatment rather than a prison sentence.
The issue had already drawn added attention after court proceedings related to the proposed defense were held under seal two weeks ago, prompting objections from news organizations seeking access to the records.
In a separate order released Thursday, Carro said the court’s earlier sealing order will remain in place despite the defense’s withdrawal. The sealed materials include certain transcripts, emails and other documents tied to the now-abandoned psychiatric defense.
Mangione appeared at a pretrial hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on June 17, 2026. He is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Bryan Thompson in December 2024.
