Attorneys for Luigi Mangione are planning his defense strategy that will include an “affirmative psychiatric defense.”
The attorneys will allege Mangione was suffering an “extreme emotional disturbance” when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death, Judge Gregory Carro said at a hearing Wednesday.
Carro ordered Mangione’s attorneys to turn over his psychiatric records to prosecutors immediately, adding the records would be unsealed.
Mangione was shackled at the hands during the hearing.
Mangione’s lawyers notified prosecutors that they might pursue a psychiatric defense in September, Carro said.
Neither Mangione’s attorneys nor Carro provided more information about the “extreme emotional disturbance.”
Carro dismissed one of the criminal counts related to possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine.
Prosecutors agreed to drop the charge after a ruling earlier this year that prohibited them from using the magazine at trial.
It was ruled inaccessible because it was improperly searched by the officers who arrested Mangione in Pennsylvania.
Mangione pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges after he was arrested for allegedly gunning down Thompson, on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024.
Mangione’s state trial is set to begin on Sept. 8; his federal trial is scheduled for next year.
Mangione’s next hearing for his state case is scheduled for Aug. 11.