Luigi Mangione's lawyers reverse course, say they won't pursue a psychiatric defense

NEW YORK (AP) — In a stunning reversal, Luigi Mangione 's lawyers told a judge Thursday that he will no longer be asserting a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

The retraction came just a day after Mangione’s lawyers told Judge Gregory Carro that they planned to pursue a defense involving claims that the 28-year-old Ivy League graduate was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance at the time of the Dec. 4, 2024, killing.

A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Mangione’s lawyers. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the state case, declined to comment.

Mangione's lawyers had faced a deadline Thursday to provide prosecutors with information to support the emotional disturbance claim.

In another turn, Carro rescinded his order to unseal a transcript and other material from a secret hearing on the matter on June 3, citing the defense’s decision, but by the time he ruled copies of the transcript had already been provided to at least some members of the news media.

It contained no additional details about the emotional disturbance claim.

If Mangione were to have gone through with the extreme emotional disturbance defense, he would have effectively been admitting that he killed Thompson but did so because of mitigating circumstances. It wouldn’t have absolved him of responsibility, but could have led to less time in prison.

If a jury accepts the defense, it is obligated to convict a defendant of manslaughter, which is punishable by up to 25 years in prison, instead of murder, which carries a potential life sentence.

In a letter to Carro on Thursday, Mangione lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said the defense “respectfully withdraws” its notice under New York's psychiatric defense statute “at this time.”

Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges. His state trial is scheduled to start Sept. 8. His federal trial, which involves stalking charges, is set to begin on Oct. 13.

At Wednesday's hearing, Friedman Agnifilo protested Carro’s decision to unseal materials related to his psychiatric defense, saying it will be “prejudicial to his defense to the exact same facts” in his federal case, where an extreme emotional disturbance defense isn’t allowed.

An emotional disturbance defense is not the same as a not guilty by reason of insanity defense, which would allow a defendant to go to a psychiatric facility instead of prison.

Thompson, 50, was killed as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.

At a hearing last month, Carro ruled that a gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Mangione to the killing can be used as evidence against him.

The gun, a 3D-printed pistol, matches the one used to kill Thompson, prosecutors said. The notebook describes wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and rebelling against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.”

Luigi Mangione appears at a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)

A lawyer for Phil Mickelson says the six-time major winner resigned from a country club near San Diego where he was accused of inappropriate contact with a female employee.

Golf Digest last week reported that Mickelson was no longer a member of The Farms Country Club and that the golfer was asked by club management to leave the course during his round after the employee reported the allegations of misconduct. Tom Clare, a defamation lawyer hired by Mickelson, said that the golfer later resigned from the club.

The Golf Digest story broke at a low point for Mickelson. He withdrew from the Masters and PGA Championship this year, citing a personal health matter with his family that kept him out of all but one of the nine LIV Golf events this year. The one major golf tournament that has eluded him — the U.S. Open, where he has been runner-up a record six times — is happening this weekend, and he is no longer eligible to compete after running out of exemptions.

Golf Digest cited sources in reporting Mickelson approached the woman in the clubhouse and made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her. The woman rejected his advances and reported it to her supervisors.

Club management investigated and confronted Mickelson on the course. Mickelson, 55, was told to leave the premises.

“Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club," The Farms said in a statement to Golf Digest.

“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.”

A spokesperson for the golfer issued a statement in response to the Golf Digest reporting that said: “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”

Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. A year later, he was a central figure in helping to launch Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He lost major sponsorships when he was quoted in early 2022 as calling the Saudis “scary mother (expletives)” and that he was only thinking of joining the league to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.

The Farms, located about 10 miles from Torrey Pines, is a private club where several top players are members, such as Annika Sorenstam and Xander Schauffele.

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FILE - In this June 18, 2006, file photo, Geoff Ogilvy, left, of Australia, and Phil Mickelson talk on the 18th green where Ogilvy was presented the U.S. Open trophy after winning the golf championship at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

FILE - Phil Mickelson tees off on the 13th hole during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club, June 12, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)