Posted on 06/18/2026 5:21:27 PM PDT by Libloather
Luigi Mangione has apparently abruptly scrapped the psychiatric defense he planned to use at his upcoming trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
“The defense respectfully withdraws CPL 250.10 notice at this time,” the accused killer’s lawyers wrote to Judge Gregory Carro in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The letter — which refers to the specific part of New York’s criminal code — could mean that Mangione no longer plans to claim he was overtaken by an “extreme emotional disturbance” when he gunned down Thompson on a Midtown sidewalk in December 2024.
But one experienced Big Apple defense attorney said Mangione could still use the eyebrow-raising tactic — just without providing any medical evidence that he has mental health issues.
“They are still perfectly free to pursue the defense of extreme emotional disturbance,” defense lawyer Ron Kuby told The Post Thursday.
Now, Mangione’s lawyers “cannot call any mental health experts to testify about his mental health,” are barred from showing jurors “any psychiatric or mental health records,” and “cannot introduce any evidence that talks about him having any psychiatric malady,” Kuby added.
If the psychiatric defense is still used in some form — and if jurors buy it — the legal gambit would knock the charge down to manslaughter instead of murder, carrying less prison time.
Mangione’s sudden strategy shift came just one day after the judge revealed that the accused assassin’s lawyers planned to use the mental health defense at his upcoming Sept. 8. state trial.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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Either there was strong evidence countering the notion… or they got told the trial is rigged to find him not guilty because the left wants the narrative of the public hero.
What’s interestingly silly is the women who are now in love with him. He’s unavailable but they can long for him between conjugal visits-keeps them going.
His best bet is to file an insanity defense on all odd-numbered days, but withdraw the plea on all even numbered days. Do that for a few weeks, and they’ll definitely think he’s insane.
He was overtaken by extreme idiocy.
Because, if he did that in the State trial, the Fed could have used it as an admission of guilt in the Federal trial.
He’s probably getting free advice from lawyers connected to his wealthy family. They may be advising him not to inform his actual lawyers about these discussions.
So, I guess admitting you are crazy is probably not good for the book deals.
Maybe he found out in NY there’s so many with “extreme emotional disturbance” (aka crazy people) he does not measure up to the height of crazy necessary to get him off.
Or maybe because NY has so many with “extreme emotional disturbance” there are no psychiatrists available. They be doggone busy.
I suspect Luigi wanted to continue to be perceived by his legions of fans as a principled vigilante fighting against a rigged health care system rather than as just a random kook.
The lawyers got ahead of their client’s instructions. Mangione would rather be found to be a killer than a nut job.
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