Luigi Mangione plans to mount a psychiatric defense at his New York state murder trial in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the judge presiding over the case said during a June 17 hearing, according to NBC News.
Manhattan Judge Gregory Carro said he would unseal a September notice tied to the affirmative psychiatric defense, which concerns Mr. Mangione’s emotional state at the time of the killing, NBC reported. The judge directed the defense to file additional documentation on the matter by the following day.
Mr. Thompson was fatally shot outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in December 2024, where he was set to appear at UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Mr. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
In September, Judge Carro dismissed two terrorism-related counts against Mr. Mangione, including a first-degree murder charge, finding them legally insufficient. The judge concluded that the killing, though premeditated and targeted, did not meet the state’s definition of terrorism and that a company’s employees do not constitute a “civilian population” under the law. He let the remaining counts stand, including intentional second-degree murder, and denied the defense’s motions to throw out the indictment and to pause the state case during the federal prosecution.
Mr. Mangione also faces separate federal charges in New York and state charges in Pennsylvania. The state trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, with the next hearing set for August, NBC reported.
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