Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel in 2024, faced a pivotal legal ruling on Monday regarding which evidence will be permitted at his upcoming trial. A Manhattan state judge decided that prosecutors may introduce a handgun and a notebook found in Mangione’s backpack at the time of his arrest in Pennsylvania, while excluding other materials from the courtroom.
The decision focuses on evidence seized after Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9, 2024, five days following Thompson’s fatal shooting outside a Hilton hotel in New York City. Judge Gregory Carro determined that the initial search of Mangione’s backpack at the restaurant was unlawful because it occurred without a warrant after the bag had been moved beyond his immediate control. However, a subsequent search conducted at a police station was ruled lawful, permitting prosecutors to retain several crucial pieces of evidence.
Among the items allowed for presentation to the jury are a handgun allegedly connected to shell casings discovered near the crime scene and a red notebook containing writings critical of the U.S. health insurance sector. Conversely, other items recovered from the backpack—including a mobile phone, passport, loaded magazines, wallet, and a computer chip—were excluded from the trial. The judge also barred some of Mangione’s statements made to police, while permitting others to be admitted as evidence.
This ruling represents a mixed outcome for both the defense and prosecution as the state murder trial is set to begin on September 8. Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges related to Thompson’s death. Prosecutors maintain that Mangione shot Thompson from behind outside the Manhattan hotel before fleeing to Pennsylvania, where he was arrested five days later.
The case has attracted national attention, partly due to allegations that the killing was politically motivated. Meanwhile, a separate federal case against Mangione is progressing, with a judge previously allowing the use of backpack evidence in those proceedings. Earlier terrorism-related murder charges in New York were dismissed, but Mangione still faces second-degree murder and weapons charges in state court.
