Luigi Mangione will assert psychiatric defense in state murder case

Luigi Mangione will assert psychiatric defense in his state murder case in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the judge overseeing case said at a hearing on Wednesday. Mangione, 28, is facing state charges in connection with the fatal shooting of Thompson, 50, on the streets of New York City in December 2024. A days-long manhunt for Thompson’s killer captivated the world and ended with Mangione’s arrest in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was apprehended. He is also facing federal charges in New York and state charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the case. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. If convicted in the New York case, he faces a possibility of life in prison. The judge overseeing Mangione’s state trial, New York State Judge Gregory Carro, ruled last month that prosecutors can use a gun and a red notebook found on Mangione during his arrest as evidence. The next court hearing will be in August and it will be virtual. The trial is scheduled to begin on September 8.