A New York judge ruled that while key evidence seized from Luigi Mangione’s backpack during his Pennsylvania arrest cannot be used at trial, jurors will still see the suspected murder weapon.
The written ruling from Judge Gregory Carro was posted online ahead of a Monday morning hearing. Carro agreed with defense attorneys that the initial search of Mangione’s backpack at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s was unconstitutional because the bag had been moved out of the suspect’s arm’s reach.
However, the judge determined that a subsequent search of the bag conducted at the police station was lawful. It was during that second search that law enforcement discovered the handgun allegedly used to kill 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Carro also ruled that the majority of statements Mangione made to Pennsylvania police are admissible. The exception applies to certain remarks regarding his alleged fake identification, which were made after officers read him his Miranda warning.
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The evidentiary ruling differs from Mangione’s separate federal case, where a different judge previously rejected the defense’s argument regarding the property search. The federal trial will include all evidence from the backpack, which encompasses the alleged murder weapon, a 3D-printed silencer, a fraudulent ID used to check into a Manhattan hostel, and journals that reportedly contain writings critical of the health insurance industry.
Mangione, 28, faces state and federal charges for the December 4, 2024, shooting of Thompson. The executive was shot from behind outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel while walking to an investor conference.
Authorities state the gunman fled the scene on a bicycle before traveling to Altoona, Pennsylvania. Mangione was arrested there five days later after McDonald’s customers and employees recognized him from a wanted poster and alerted emergency services.
Defense attorneys petitioned to suppress the evidence by arguing that police searched the bag multiple times over an eight-hour period before securing a search warrant. The defense maintained that because Mangione was restrained and no longer had control over the bag, officers were required to obtain a warrant before opening it.
Prosecutors countered the motion by arguing that Altoona police officers acted reasonably under the circumstances when they checked the bag following the arrest. The ruling follows several days of suppression hearings that included testimony from 17 witnesses.
Mangione has entered a plea of not guilty to all state and federal charges. In New York, he faces a top charge of second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, alongside six weapons-related charges and one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument. The judge previously dismissed terrorism-related charges that carried a potential sentence of life without parole.
The state trial is scheduled to begin on September 8.
In the separate federal proceeding, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett issued a January 30 order allowing the backpack evidence to stand while also ruling that the death penalty would be taken off the table for the federal charges.
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