PODCAST:
June 18, 2026 ~ Attorney Neil Rockind explains why Luigi Mangione’s defense will hinge on a psychiatric strategy in the killing of a major healthcare CEO.
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. ~ Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial will take place in the fall after being accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024, and his attorneys plan to argue that Mangione was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance during the assassination.
“If he asserts this defense, he and his lawyers are going to come into court and they’re going to admit that he participated in or committed the acts that resulted in this homicide,” Attorney Neil Rockind said on All Talk. “What they’re going to argue is that because of his mental state, an extreme emotional disturbance, that he shouldn’t be held accountable for murder, that it affected his ability to actually think clearly enough, so that could reduce his culpability for murder down to manslaughter, for example.”
After pleading not guilty, Mangione faces second-degree murder and other state charges in connection with Thompson’s death. His state trial is set to start on Sept. 8.
Mangione is also facing a federal trial scheduled to begin in early 2027. His next court date is set for Aug. 11.
