EXCLUSIVE: Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Likely to 'Exploit' Alleged CEO Killer’s Popularity — Amid Shift to Secret New Defense Strategy
Luigi Mangione must come up with a new strategy to fight murder charges in his upcoming trials.
June 30 2026, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Luigi Mangione's defense team's best bet for a not guilty verdict may be to exploit the alleged CEO killer's folk-like popularity, a top criminal defense attorney had told RadarOnline.com.
The 28-year-old's lawyers abruptly withdrew plans to use a "psychiatric defense" at his trial, leaving it unclear how they plan to fight his murder charges for the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione's Popularity Could Be Key
Mangione is behind bars in Brooklyn as he awaits his trials.
Mangione is being held at a federal jail in Brooklyn while awaiting two trials for the December 4, 2024, killing of Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel.
He is set to go to trial in a state case on Sept. 8, while his federal trial, which involves stalking charges, was recently pushed back to next January. That should give his defense team plenty of time to figure out a new strategy.
Sam Bassett, criminal defense attorney with Minton, Bassett, Flores & Carsey, told Radar that lawyers should embrace Mangione's cult status.
"I believe they will do all they can, within the law, to zealously defend their client," Bassett said. "There is support in the community for Mangione for reasons other than the specific evidence in the case, so perhaps there is a way to exploit that with a jury in NYC."
'Extreme Emotional Disturbance'
His lawyers may try to use his popularity to their advantage.
Earlier this month, Mangione's lawyers said they planned to prove that he was suffering from "extreme emotional disturbance" at the time of the crime.
By using a psychiatric defense, Mangione effectively would have been admitting he killed the man, but did so because of mitigating circumstances. That could have helped lessen the punishment against him.
However, just a day later, Mangione's lawyers announced they were abandoning that plan.
"The withdrawal of a psychiatric defense may mean that the expert testimony and analysis just wasn't lining up to pursue such a strategy," Bassett reasoned. "In the end, there still is a case to defend, and as a defense attorney you do your best for your client, no matter the state of the evidence.
"It seems 'obvious' to us that he is guilty, but that doesn't mean he doesn't receive a vigorous and thorough defense."
A Risky Defense
His lawyers had initially considered an emotional defense.
The strategy could have proved costly in other ways as well, according to Jamie E. Wright, LA Litigator & Founder of the Wright Law Firm, who told Radar an "extreme emotional disturbance" defense could open new opportunities for prosecutors, including the ability to request psychiatric records and reviews from experts.
She explained, "As such, when you take (the EED) away, it may be more of a decision regarding which information goes into the case rather than giving up a theory."
Without the defense's EED strategy, the prosecution "must continue to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt," which is a higher standard than in civil cases."
A Tough Sell
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Mangione's trials are being closely watched by his supporters.
Mental health professionals were also worried it would have been a tough sell.
"On its face, it appears to be a very, very weak case," said Sandip Buch, psychiatrist and owner of group telehealth practice Skypiatrist.com.
"It is very unclear whether he had a qualifying mental illness, but this crime appeared to take planning and execution, which shows capacity, and his actions of planning and escape showed he knew what he was doing was wrong," Buch clarified.
Brian C. Stewart, attorney at Parker & McConkie, said proving Mangione "snapped" could have been nearly impossible.
"You need an actual psychiatric break, not just being furious at an industry. And his own writings are organized, deliberate, almost calculating," he explained. "Prosecutors are going to read straight from his notebook to argue this was a man thinking clearly, not a man losing it."
