A New York judge ruled Monday that prosecutors can present a gun and notebook found in Luigi Mangione's backpack as evidence in his state murder trial for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Judge Gregory Carro's decision on May 18 represents a significant victory for prosecutors, enabling them to show jurors the alleged murder weapon and writings that prosecutors say establish motive.
The ruling came five months after Carro held a hearing to examine how police obtained the items during Mangione's arrest at a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2024, according to CBS News.
Mangione, 27, faces nine state charges, including second-degree murder in connection with Thompson's fatal shooting outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4, 2024.
The judge determined that while the initial search of Mangione's backpack at the McDonald's was an unlawful warrantless search, a subsequent inventory search at the police station was permissible.
Carro ruled that items discovered during the McDonald's search must be suppressed, including a gun magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and computer chip. However, evidence obtained during the later inventory search at the station, including the 3D-printed pistol and notebook, can be admitted at trial.
The 3D-printed firearm prosecutors say matches the weapon used to kill Thompson will serve as crucial evidence linking Mangione to the crime.
The notebook contains writings describing a desire to attack a health insurance executive, with one entry stating the plan to "wack the CEO" at an annual investor conference would be "targeted, precise" and not "endanger innocents."
Other notebook passages referenced "the deadly, greed-fueled health insurance cartel" and described the insurance industry as "extracting human life force for money," the New York Times reported.
Defense attorneys had argued the backpack search violated constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures because officers lacked a warrant when they initially examined its contents.
The judge acknowledged this argument was partially valid, leading to the suppression of certain items, but ruled that inventory searches at police stations constitute a recognized exception to warrant requirements. Carro noted that officers did not open or inspect the notebook at McDonald's, making it admissible as part of the later inventory search.
Thompson was fatally shot outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, as he arrived for an annual investor conference.
Authorities apprehended Mangione five days later in Pennsylvania following a multistate manhunt that ended when a McDonald's employee recognized him from circulated photos.
Mangione's state trial is scheduled to begin Jun. 8, though that date could shift to Sept. 8 if his federal trial, currently set to start with jury selection on Sept. 8, is delayed, as per NBC News.
Originally published on Lawyer Herald
