Luigi Mangione to pursue psychiatric defense in CEO killing case, judge says

Luigi Mangione to pursue psychiatric defense in CEO killing case, judge says NEW YORK (TNND) — Lawyers for suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione plan to pursue a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial, a judge said Wednesday. Judge Gregory Carro said he was informed by the defense that attorneys will attempt to show Mangione was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the occurrence." If successful, the defense could affect the charges or penalties he faces if convicted. Carro's announcement came two weeks after he held a closed-door hearing on the matter at the defense's request. The judge said he would unseal records related to the hearing and the defense's effort to pursue a psychiatric defense. "The reasons for the sealing was to give the defense an opportunity to determine whether they were going forth with that defense and the nature of that defense," Carro said. Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, argued that making the records public could hurt her client in his separate federal case. "The reason why we asked for the sealing is that this defense is not available federally and Mr. Mangione is being prosecuted federally and this is prejudicial to his defense to the exact same facts," Friedman Agnifilo said. The dispute over the psychiatric defense comes amid a series of pretrial rulings and procedural setbacks in the case. A hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday, but it was delayed after prosecutors failed to notify Mangione's jail that he was needed in court. He is currently scheduled to stand trial on Sept. 8. Carro ruled last month that key evidence, including a gun and notebook, can be used against Mangione when his state murder trial begins. Prosecutors have described the notebook as a "manifesto" in which Mangione wrote about wanting to "wack" a health insurance executive and rebelling against what he called the "deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel." While allowing those items into evidence, Carro also ruled that the initial search of Mangione's backpack during his arrest five days after the fatal shooting at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, was unconstitutional. "I find that the search of the backpack at the McDonald's was an improper warrantless search," the judge said. Carro concluded the backpack was already under police control and no longer within Mangione's "immediate control" when officers searched it at the restaurant. As a result, items recovered during that search — including an ammunition magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip — must be suppressed, he ruled. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both the state and federal cases. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted and is being held in a federal jail in Brooklyn while awaiting trial. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed on Dec. 4, 2024, while walking to a Manhattan hotel for an annual investor conference. According to police, the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" were written on the ammunition, echoing a phrase often used by critics to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. _____ Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.