Luigi Mangione defense unveils new strategy to CHANGE his plea as he stands trial for allegedly murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO

Published: 15:38, 17 June 2026 | Updated: 15:57, 17 June 2026 Luigi Mangione's lawyers have unveiled a new strategy ahead of his murder trial, announcing that they plan to change his plea to deploy a psychiatric defense, arguing that he was 'extremely emotionally disturbed' at the time of the alleged killing.  Mangione's representation presented the strategy at a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, according to the presiding judge, Gregory Carro.  In response to the change of plea, Carro has ordered the defense to produce Mangione's psychiatric records immediately, meaning they would also be unsealed to the public.  In order for his attorneys to deploy a psychiatric defense, they typically must formally withdraw a prior plea. Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.  Mangione has been charged in state and federal court for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in December 2024.  His trial for the murder is set to begin on September 8. If the defense succeeds in convincing a jury that Mangione had been suffering from a psychiatric condition at the time of the alleged killing, he will be sent to serve time at a mental health facility instead of federal prison.  Mangione's defense team held a secret hearing two weeks ago. Carro has said he will unseal records pertaining to their request to pursue a psychiatric defense.  Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Mangione's lawyer, has advocated against unsealing the transcript from the hearing, arguing that it could harm his federal case.  Luigi Mangione's defense team unveiled a new strategy at a hearing on Wednesday, informing the presiding judge that they were preparing to argue a 'psychiatric defense'  If Mangione's lawyers successfully argue that he was 'extremely emotionally disturbed' during the time of the alleged killing, he would not face federal prison time  Mangione's lawyers, Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Karen Agnifilo, presented the strategy at a pre-trial hearing. Mangione faces both state and federal charges for allegedly murdering Brian Thompson  Carro has now tasked the defense with releasing evidence related to Mangione's alleged emotional disturbance by Thursday.  The judge said that the prosecution needs to know 'what the malady is that this defendant suffers and how that triggered an extreme emotional disturbance at the time and place of the occurrence.'  'Nothing is going to be a surprise. I’m not going to let you surprise the People on the eve of the trial. So, get it done.'  This is a breaking news story...   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.