The highly-anticipated hearing in the New York murder trial of Luigi Mangione carries on today, marking a year since prosecutors allege he fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 27, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges on both state and federal levels. Ahead of any trial dates being set, his legal team aims to prevent future jurors from hearing about his alleged statements to law enforcement and items found in his possession, such as a gun and a notebook.
These pieces of evidence are crucial to the prosecution’s case. They assert that the 9mm handgun matches the weapon used in the crime, the writings in the notebook reveal Mangione’s animosity towards health insurers and plans to target a CEO at an investor event, and that he provided Pennsylvania police with a false identity, mirroring the alias used at a New York hostel shortly before the shooting.
Thompson, aged 50, was shot in the back while heading to an investor conference on December 4, 2024. Having taken the helm of UnitedHealthcare in 2021, he had been a part of the UnitedHealth Group Inc. for two decades.
The ongoing hearing, initiated on Monday and possibly extending into next week, pertains solely to the state’s case. Nonetheless, it offers the public an early glimpse into forthcoming testimony, video footage, 911 recordings, and other pertinent documents relevant to both legal proceedings.
The specifics of expected witnesses or evidence for Thursday remain undisclosed.
During Tuesday’s court session, footage from police body cameras captured the encounter between officers and Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. After a 20-minute interaction, the officers identified him as the suspect in Thompson’s murder from five days prior, prompting his rights to be read and his arrest on a forgery charge due to a fake ID.
Mangione’s defense is challenging the admissibility of his statements at trial, citing that his rights were violated by questioning prior to being informed of his rights. Furthermore, they argue that the items found in his possession should be disregarded as evidence since a search warrant was not obtained before searching his bag.
Prosecutors in Manhattan have yet to outline their stance on the contested evidence. On the federal level, it is argued that the police actions were justified for safety reasons and that Mangione’s statements were voluntary and made before his arrest.
Legal debates around evidence and regulations governing police searches and engagements with suspects are common in criminal cases.