Murder suspect Luigi Mangione to claim he was having extreme mental health crisis

A US man who allegedly fatally shot an insurance boss plans to argue he was having an extreme mental health crisis at the time of the killing, a judge has revealed.

Luigi Mangione, 28, is accused of murdering UnitedHeathcare chief executive Brian Thompson, 50, outside a hotel in Manhattan on 4 December 2024.

Graphic footage of the killing went viral and a five-day manhunt made headlines around the world. Eventually, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania.

He pleaded not guilty in December to state murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

His state trial is set for September before Justice Gregory Carro.

The strategy could lead to Mangione being convicted by a jury of manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years. Murder could put him behind bars for life.

On Wednesday, Judge Carro said the defendant's lawyers have informed him they will attempt to show he was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the occurrence".

New York law allows murder defendants to argue that they cannot be held fully responsible for their actions because they were in a state of extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the killing.

Mangione separately pleaded not guilty in April 2025 to murder, weapons and stalking charges brought by Manhattan federal prosecutors.

Federal laws apply to everyone in the US, with state laws being state-specific.

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US district judge, Margaret Garnett, who is overseeing that case, threw out the murder and weapons charges over legal technicalities in January.

That ruling meant Mangione would not face the death penalty, but he still faces a possible sentence of life without parole if convicted of stalking.

Jury selection in that case will begin in September, with opening statements in the trial scheduled for November.

(c) Sky News 2026: Murder suspect Luigi Mangione to claim he was having extreme mental health crisis