Luigi Mangione’s lawyers told a New York State judge on Thursday that they had withdrawn their intent to argue that their client was experiencing “extreme emotional disturbance” at the time he was accused of killing a UnitedHealthcare executive in Midtown Manhattan in 2024.
The disclosure came one day after the judge overseeing the case, Justice Gregory Carro, revealed at a pretrial hearing that Mr. Mangione’s legal team had filed a motion last year notifying the court it was considering the defense.
In a one-sentence letter, Mr. Mangione’s lawyers wrote, “The defense respectfully withdraws CPL § 250.10 notice at this time,” referring to psychiatric evidence.
In New York, if defense lawyers can convince a jury that strong emotions resulted in a “profound loss of self-control,” leading to a homicide, the highest charge their clients can be convicted of is manslaughter. Mr. Mangione faces multiple state charges, including second-degree murder. He is also facing federal charges in a separate trial.
The developments come less than three months before the scheduled start of Mr. Mangione’s trial in September.
Mr. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state and federal charges.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.