Luigi Mangione Pretrial Hearing Nears End as Defense Challenges Evidence in CEO Murder Case

Luigi Mangione smiled for cameras as he returned to court Tuesday for the eighth day of pretrial hearings in his murder case for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, with a judge expressing optimism that the proceedings could conclude this week. Judge Gregory Carro said he hopes the evidence suppression hearing will "wind up on Thursday," marking the end of the third week of testimony in the high-profile case. The 27-year-old defendant has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. At the center of the legal battle is whether crucial evidence seized during Mangione's December 9, 2024 arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania can be used against him at trial. His defense team argues that police violated his constitutional rights during and after his arrest at a McDonald's restaurant, five days after Thompson was fatally shot on a Manhattan sidewalk. The disputed evidence includes a pistol, silencer, and notebook found in Mangione's backpack, which prosecutors say tie him directly to Thompson's shooting. Defense attorneys contend that all evidence from the backpack search should be excluded because police conducted it without a warrant. Altoona Police Officer George Featherstone testified Tuesday about his role as evidence custodian, describing the laborious process of cataloging and processing dozens of items allegedly found on Mangione during his arrest. Court testimony revealed that Mangione had at least a dozen handwritten notes on his person when apprehended. More than a dozen witnesses have taken the stand during the hearings, all officers involved in Mangione's Pennsylvania arrest. Police officers and their supervisors have defended the search, testifying that such searches are routine and consistent with department policy once a person is placed under arrest. Mangione was initially charged with forgery, a felony in Pennsylvania, after giving officers a fake ID. In a significant development Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office signaled it would exclude certain statements Mangione made while in custody at the Altoona Police Department. This decision came after questions arose about the legality of recording someone in Pennsylvania without their knowledge. A New York police lieutenant leading the Thompson investigation testified that he set up recording equipment in an interrogation room at the Altoona station house after Mangione's apprehension. However, when pressed by defense attorney Marc Agnifilo about whether he knew if such recording was legal in Pennsylvania without the subject's knowledge, the lieutenant admitted he did not know. The pretrial hearing applies only to the state murder case, though Mangione's lawyers are making similar efforts to exclude evidence in the federal case. Prosecutors have called more than a dozen witnesses so far, with at least one more expected after an off-day Wednesday. Brian Thompson, 50, was a father of two from Minnesota who was visiting New York City for a shareholder conference in midtown Manhattan when he was approached from behind and shot on a sidewalk outside the host hotel. The shooting occurred on December 4, 2024, sparking a massive manhunt that ended with Mangione's arrest five days later. The outcome of these suppression hearings will significantly impact the prosecution's case, as the gun, notebook, and other physical evidence form key components of their argument against Mangione. If successful, the defense's constitutional challenge could severely limit the evidence available for trial. As the hearings near their conclusion, both sides continue to battle over the admissibility of evidence that could determine the fate of one of the year's most closely watched criminal cases.