Lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson, will argue a psychiatric defence at his state murder trial, a judge said on Wednesday.
According to CBS News, the BBC’s US news partner, Mangione’s lawyers have told Judge Gregory Carro that they will try to show he was suffering from “extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the occurrence”.
He has pleaded not guilty in both the federal and state cases against him for the shooting death of Thompson in midtown Manhattan at the end of 2024.
If a jury agrees with the psychiatric defence, then it could convict Mangione of manslaughter, instead of murder.
The judge has announced that he would unseal court records related to the defence’s plan, according to CBS.
Mangione was in the New York courtroom on Wednesday for the discussion, images show. He was scheduled to be in court on Tuesday, but that appearance was cancelled due to a reported mistake by the prosecution.
His state trial is set to begin on 8 September.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, is also facing federal stalking charges, which can bring a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Federal murder and firearms charges against him were dropped earlier this year.
Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was shot from behind by a masked gunman on 4 December, 2024, as he walked into a Manhattan hotel for an annual investor conference.
By BBC News
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