Insanity Defense Is Luigi Mangione’s Only Option: Attorney

An attorney has told Newsweek that insanity is likely the only workable defense for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Greg Germain, an attorney with over 30 years of experience, said that he doesn’t believe it will be a case of jury nullification, in which a jury acquits the accused out of sympathy for them or their cause.

Germain, who teaches law at Syracuse University in New York, said that, given the weight of evidence, insanity is likely the only defense that will work.

Newsweek sought email comment from Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, on Friday.

Why It Matters

The case feeds into a wider debate about the medical insurance industry and public disaffection with a perceived lack of financial support from insurance companies.

Mangione, 26, allegedly shot and killed Thompson in New York on December 4 as a protest against the medical insurance business.

He faces federal murder charges that could carry the death penalty.

He additionally faces six charges in New York state, including murder in the furtherance of terrorism, for which he could serve life without parole.

He has pleaded not guilty to the New York charges and is waiting to plead on the federal charges.

His case has attracted enormous public comment, with many people expressing support for the killing.

Others have been dubbing him a “sex symbol” online, while New York Mayor Eric Adams has called on everyone to strongly condemn the murder.

What To Know

Germain said that, despite widespread speculation, it is unlikely that a jury will let Mangione walk free from a murder charge.

“It’s hard for me to imagine jury nullification. People may not like their health insurance companies, but I don’t think they will condone murdering insurance executives in the street,” he said.

Germain said that prosecutors will work to humanize Thompson and that Mangione’s legal team will only have insanity as a defense.

“The prosecution will show the jury that he was a human being who was ambushed.”

“The only possible defense I could imagine is insanity, which is very hard to establish in a planned case like this,” he said.

What People Are Saying

Former U.S. Attorney Nick Ackerman told CNN on Tuesday that the evidence is so strong Mangione “can’t claim innocence based on the facts,” and his defense team should move towards an insanity plea.

“What you have to do is really dig in deeply, talk to the family members, try and find out what that medical history was that we heard about. How did that impact him? Is there anything out there [that] would give you some kind of a hook on the defense?

“Certainly, an insanity defense would protect him from any kind of death penalty in the federal action. But that is really a huge job,” he said.

What Happens Next

Mangione’s next court appearance on the New York charges is February 21. No court date has yet been set for Mangione’s plea to the federal charges. He continues to remain in federal custody in Brooklyn, New York.