Luigi Mangione defense will argue extreme emotional disturbance at trial
Luigi Mangione will argue in his state murder case that he suffered from an extreme emotional disturbance when he allegedly killed Brian Thompson. A New York City judge on Wednesday also ordered records tied to that defense plan unsealed, while prosecutors said they were not moving ahead on one weapons count.
New York City hearing
Mangione appeared in a New York City courtroom on Wednesday morning for the hearing in his state murder case. The proceeding had been set for Tuesday, but it was delayed at the last minute after prosecutors did not serve the order for him to appear in court. Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo said on Tuesday, “Mistakes happen. People make mistakes.”
The hearing centered on the defense plan filed in September. That filing is now part of the record the judge said would be unsealed, giving the state case a clearer path toward the theory Mangione’s lawyers intend to present at trial.
State charges and weapons count
Prosecutors said they are not moving forward with count nine of the indictment, which charged criminal possession of a weapon. The charge tied to the magazine that was suppressed by the court was formally dismissed on Wednesday. Mangione still faces state and federal charges connected to the December 4, 2024 shooting death of Thompson in Midtown Manhattan, and he has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The state case now moves toward a September 8 trial date. That schedule places the defense strategy at the center of the case before jurors are selected, with the emotional disturbance argument now laid out in court records rather than left only in filings.
Federal trial dates
Mangione also faces a federal trial. Jury selection in that interstate stalking case is scheduled to start on October 5, and opening statements are expected on either October 26 or November 2. For now, the state case has advanced on a narrower weapons count, while the defense records tied to its main theory are being opened to public view.
