A New York judge ruled Monday that the suspected murder weapon and a notebook describing a plan to kill a health insurance executive will both be admitted as evidence at Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial, set to begin September 8.
Judge Gregory Carro issued the ruling, reported by Fox News, after a months-long review of how Altoona, Pennsylvania police searched Mangione’s backpack on December 9, 2024, five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a Manhattan hotel.
The judge found police acted lawfully when they conducted an inventory search at the police station, which turned up the gun, a 3D-printed silencer, and the notebook. He suppressed evidence seized during an earlier search at the McDonald’s restaurant where Mangione was arrested, ruling that search violated the Fourth Amendment because the bag had been moved out of Mangione’s reach.
Items thrown out include a loaded ammunition magazine, Mangione’s cellphone, his passport, his wallet, and a computer chip.
The admitted evidence represents a significant win for prosecutors. The 3D-printed pistol matches the weapon used to kill Thompson, according to prosecutors. The notebook, which prosecutors have described as a “manifesto,” references wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive and rails against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.”
The ammunition recovered in the case had the words “delay,” “deny” and “depose” written on it, a phrase critics use to describe how health insurers handle claims denials.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty in both his state and federal cases. He faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted in either proceeding.
The state trial is expected to run four to six weeks. Jury selection for his separate federal trial, which includes stalking charges, is scheduled for October 13, with opening statements beginning November 4.
A federal judge overseeing the parallel case has already denied the same suppression motion, ruling the search at McDonald’s was lawful under federal standards. That ruling means the full contents of the backpack, including the fake ID Mangione used to check into the hostel, will be before the federal jury.
Thompson, 50, was shot from behind outside the New York Hilton Midtown on December 4, 2024, as he walked to his company’s annual investor conference. Mangione was identified from surveillance footage and recognized at the Pennsylvania McDonald’s by customers who saw his photo on a wanted poster.
