Defense attorneys said they will not present evidence of an extreme emotional crisis. The choice reshapes trial strategy and raises questions about possible sentencing.
New York, June 18 (Reuters) – Luigi Mangione, a man accused of killing a health-care executive on a Manhattan sidewalk, is currently withdrawing plans to present evidence in court asserting that he was in a state of extreme mental crisis at the time of the alleged killing, according to court documents filed on Friday.
Mangione, 28, is charged with the deadly murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, near a Midtown hotel in December 2024. The killing was widely condemned by officials but became a symbol of Americans’ frustration with rising health-care costs and the practices of the health-insurance industry.
Mangione previously pleaded not guilty in December 2024 to charges of murder, weapons possession, and forgery brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. His trial is scheduled for September before Judge Carro in Manhattan.
In a letter to Judge Carro on Friday, Mangione’s lawyers wrote that they are “at this time” withdrawing plans to present evidence that Mangione was experiencing an extreme mental crisis state.
At this time
– Mangione’s lawyers
Mangione’s legal team and DA Bragg’s office declined to comment on Friday.
Under New York law, defendants in murder cases may seek to prove that their actions were justified by an “extreme emotional disturbance,” reducing their criminal responsibility. Such a strategy allows jurors to soften the verdict by reducing the charges from murder to a lesser offense.
Legal experts noted that Mangione could face difficulties given the evidence suggesting that he meticulously planned the murder and evaded arrest afterward.
Judge Carro will decide at trial whether there was enough evidence to reduce the murder charge.
Brian Thompson headed UnitedHealth Group’s insurance division before he was shot near the hotel where the company was hosting an investor conference.
Earlier footage of the murder and a five-day manhunt for the suspect became focal points of media attention. Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.
On separate charges, Mangione recently pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons possession, and stalking charges brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
The judge in January dismissed the murder and weapons charges on technical grounds, removing the possibility of the death penalty, although he still could face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole on the stalking charge. Jury selection for this case is scheduled for September, with opening statements at the start of the trial slated for November.
The case continues, and the Manhattan trial is moving toward the next stages of proceedings and potential verdicts, depending on the evidence presented and the legal arguments of the parties.