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

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

Mr. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal murder charges, which carry the death penalty.

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

In September, a judge dismissed state terrorism-related murder charges against Mr. Mangione, arguing that prosecutors had failed to establish the evidence to support them.

Mr. Mangione’s legal team now hopes to convince a judge to exclude evidence, including a gun and a notebook in which prosecutors say he exposed his motive.

The defendant was arrested days after allegedly shooting Mr. Thompson, a father of two, as he walked to an investor conference on a busy Manhattan street on December 4, 2024.

A date for either of his trials has not yet been set.

Entering court Monday, Mr. Mangione wore a gray suit and shirt, and court workers removed his bound hands before he sat down, as his lawyers had requested.

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

Defense lawyers are seeking to suppress some of Mr. Mangione’s statements he made to police after his arrest – including allegedly giving them a false name.

They contend he did so before police informed him of his rights, including the right to remain silent.

His lawyers also hope to exclude from trial a 9mm handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used in the killing, as well as writings found in Mr. Mangione’s backpack.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Mangione — the scion of a prominent Maryland family and graduate of an Ivy League university — wrote in his notebook about “the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel.”

But defense attorneys argue that his backpack was searched without a warrant and that items found inside should be excluded for that reason.

Eliminating these two critical pieces of evidence – which point to the weapon and the motive for the crime – would be a big victory for Mr. Mangione’s legal team.

But the chances of that happening are “virtually nonexistent,” said Dmitriy Shakhnevich, a New York criminal lawyer.

He explained that’s because there are a number of exceptions to the constitutional rules that law enforcement must obtain a warrant for personal searches, including some that may cover this matter.

“In a case like this, where there is a manhunt for a violent suspect who committed this alleged crime in plain sight in New York, no one gets a warrant,” Mr. Shakhnevich said.

“When they get him, they will search him.”

Prosecutors say they have other key evidence against the accused, including DNA or fingerprints on items left near the crime scene.

Mr. Mangione’s lawyers are likely aware of the high chance of obtaining excluded evidence, Mr. Shakhnevich said.

He added that the main reason defense attorneys hold these types of proceedings is to preview law enforcement testimony at trial.

So far, the court has heard from the New York Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner for Public Information, Sergeant Chris McLaughlin, who was asked to review surveillance footage taken after the shooting.

Court prosecutors also released CCTV footage showing the murder. An employee who operated security cameras at the Altoona McDonald’s also testified.

Prosecutors played a 911 call from a manager at the fast-food restaurant who said customers told him a customer looked like the suspect in Mr. Thompson’s murder. The manager said she looked for photos of him online but could only make out Mr. Mangione’s eyebrows while he was eating at the restaurant because he was wearing a hat and mask.

The court also heard from a correctional officer at the prison where Mr. Mangione was held, who said he seemed “uninterested and logical” as the two discussed literature and health care, although Mr. Mangione did not offer his opinion on the latter topic.

The officer said Mr. Mangione was placed under high security because he wanted to avoid an “Epstein-type situation,” a reference to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide while in a federal detention center.

Mr. Shakhnevich said the legal team wants to get this type of information from witnesses so they can be aware of what people might say at trial and be on the lookout for any inconsistencies in their statements.

“The benefit of the hearing is that you can have law enforcement officials testify, and you can link them to testimony for a later trial,” he said.

Mr. Mangione’s legal team also lobbied 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 the killing had damaged his case, which they said was politically motivated.