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Luigi Mangione will argue he was in a state of “extreme emotional disturbance” when he killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Some shit you should know: If you’re unaware, Brian Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare and a father of two, was shot from behind by a masked gunman early on December 4, 2024, outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where his company was holding its annual investor conference. Investigators found the words “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” inscribed on the cartridge cases, a reference to the tactics insurers use to avoid paying out claims. A five-day nationwide manhunt ended when Mangione was recognized and arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say he was carrying a 3D-printed pistol, a fake ID and a handwritten notebook.
Prosecutors say that diary vented his frustrations with the health insurance industry and detailed his intent to carry out an attack, adding that he was focused on the court of public opinion and how he intended to gain widespread support, and that he had chosen UnitedHealthcare solely because it was the largest health insurance company. Mangione left a long trail online before going quiet: an account under his name on X used a header image of an X-ray of a spine with what appear to be four rods or screws inserted, a nod to the chronic back pain he had written about for years under a Reddit account that posted on a subreddit focused on spondylolisthesis.
What’s going on now: Judge Gregory Carro said Wednesday that Mangione’s lawyers had informed him they would assert the psychiatric defense over the December 2024 shooting. Under New York law, the affirmative defense effectively concedes the act but argues the defendant should not be held fully responsible, and if a jury agrees, it would reduce a second-degree murder charge to manslaughter, carrying a maximum of 25 years instead of a potential life sentence.
The strategy is not an insanity plea and would not win an acquittal, only lower the level of the crime. Carro ordered the defense to hand over Mangione’s psychiatric records and the name of its expert by Thursday, warning he would not let them “surprise the People on the eve of the trial” after prosecutors accused the team of stonewalling.
This all comes after Mangione’s lawyers sought to dismiss some of the criminal charges brought against him, including the only count for which he could face the death penalty, arguing that officers failed to obtain a warrant before searching his backpack.
