Luigi Mangione in court as lawyers seek to rule out notebook, gun and other key evidence

Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan a year ago, appeared in court as his lawyers challenged the admissibility of key evidence in his case.

Mr. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty.

The pre-trial hearing could last several days as defense attorneys are expected to call numerous witnesses, including those from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested at McDonald’s.

In September, a judge dropped state terrorism-related murder charges against Mr. Mangione, saying prosecutors had failed to produce evidence that would justify those charges.

Mr. Mangione’s legal team now hopes to persuade a judge to exclude evidence, including the gun and a notebook that prosecutors say shows his motive.

The defendant was arrested days after he allegedly shot father-of-two Brian Thompson as he walked into an investor conference on a busy Manhattan street on Dec. 4, 2024.

The dates for both hearings have not yet been set.

Mr. Mangione appeared in court Monday, wearing a gray suit and shirt, and court staff removed handcuffs from his hands before sitting down at the request of his lawyers.

This week’s hearing focuses on whether prosecutors illegally obtained evidence from Mr. Mangione when they arrested him in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and whether that evidence should be excluded as a result.

Defense lawyers are trying to suppress some of the statements Mr. Mangione made to police after his arrest – including giving a false name.

They claim he did so before police read him his rights, including the right to remain silent.

His lawyers also hope to keep out of the trial the 9mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used in the murder, as well as the writings found in Mr. Mangione’s backpack.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Mangione, the scion of a prominent Maryland family who graduated from an Ivy League university, wrote in his notebook about a “deadly, greed-fuelled health insurance cartel.”

However, defense lawyers argue that the backpack was searched without a warrant and the items found inside should therefore be excluded from the search.

Elimination of these two critical pieces of evidence pointing to the murder weapon and motive would be a huge win for Mr. Mangione’s legal team.

But Dmitriy Shakhnevich, a criminal defense attorney in New York, said the chances of that happening are “almost non-existent.”

This, he said, is because there are a number of exceptions to the constitutional rules under which law enforcement must obtain a warrant for personal searches; some of which may include this case.

“In a situation like this, where there is a manhunt in New York City for a violent suspect who blatantly committed this alleged crime, no one can get an arrest warrant,” Mr. Shakhnevich said.

“They’ll call him when they catch him.”

Prosecutors say there is other key evidence against the defendant, including DNA or fingerprints on items dumped near the scene of the crime.

Mr. Shakhnevich said Mr. Mangione’s lawyers were probably aware of the possibility of evidence being excluded.

He added that the main reason defense attorneys pursue such cases is to preview law enforcement’s testimony at trial.

So far, the court has heard from New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Sergeant Chris McLaughlin, who was asked to review security footage from the aftermath of the shooting.

Prosecutors in the court also played the security cameras showing the murder. A worker who manages security cameras at a McDonald’s in Altoona also testified.

Mr. Shakhnevich said the legal team wants to get that kind of information from witnesses so they can be aware of what people might say at trial and be alert to inconsistencies in their testimony.

“The benefit of a hearing is that you get law enforcement officials to testify and you bind them to the deposition for a later hearing,” he said.

Mr. Mangione’s legal team is also pushing to block the federal government from seeking the death penalty.

They said comments by senior officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing Mr. Mangione of murder, damaged the case, which they claimed was politically motivated.