Luigi Mangione’s legal team reverses course on emotional disturbance defense
Luigi Mangione lawyers plan psychiatric defense
Luigi Mangione‘s lawyers have withdrawn his psychiatric defense in the state murder trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
This decision reverses a previous announcement that Mangione would argue he suffered from extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the December 2024 killing.
The withdrawal occurred on Thursday, the deadline for the defense to provide evidence for the emotional disturbance claim, and after a transcript from a related closed-door hearing was unsealed.
An extreme emotional disturbance defense, if accepted by a jury, could have reduced a potential murder conviction (carrying a life sentence) to manslaughter (punishable by up to 25 years in prison).
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, has pleaded not guilty to state murder charges and federal stalking charges, with trials scheduled for September and October, respectively.
