Evidence found during the search at the time of his arrest had been ruled inadmissible.
The judge in the United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s fatal shooting case ruled that prosecutors are allowed to use the alleged gunman’s weapon in the upcoming trial.
A state court judge ruled on May 18 that prosecutors in the case are allowed to use the items discovered during the search of Luigi Mangione’s backpack at a police station, but not what was found during the search at the time of his arrest.
Judge Gregory Carro granted Mangione’s request to suppress the evidence found during the Pennsylvania arrest, agreeing with the defense that the search by the police at the time was unlawful.
The judge stated in court that the backpack was “not within the immediate control or grabbable area of the defendant” when police arrested him at a McDonald’s.
Because of that ruling, the items found during the initial search will be suppressed and cannot be used in the trial.
Mangione pleaded not guilty in state court to all charges brought against him, and while the ruling was in favor of the defense, prosecutors have said they still have plenty of evidence in the case.
The Thompson homicide trial is set to start on Sept. 8 and is expected to last for six weeks.
Evidence that has been disallowed for the upcoming trial includes a loaded handgun magazine, and cell phone.
Carro ruled that a gun, silencer, USB drive, and a red notebook—all found at the police station search—were admissible in court.
Additionally, Mangione’s lawyers made the case that his statements to law enforcement during the arrest should be inadmissible because he was illegally searched and not given notice of his legal rights.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has consistently rejected claims that Mangione was illegally searched and questioned.
Mangione was arrested after a five-day manhunt following the fatal shooting of Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, outside the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan.
The defendant has been in jail since his detention and was initially charged with terrorism.
