Judge in Luigi Mangione's N.Y. case says gun, notebook can be used as evidence in state trial
A New York judge ruled that a gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Luigi Mangione to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can be used during his state trial, though other items will be suppressed.
A Monday morning hearing centered around the defense's bid to suppress evidence found in a backpack during Mangione's arrest, including a 3D-printed gun, a silencer and a notebook.
Mangione's lawyers said their client was unlawfully searched when he was arrested at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The defense said law enforcement should have obtained a warrant before looking in the backpack.
Prosecutors said the search was legal and part of standard police procedure. They said the backpack was searched after Mangione gave a false identity to officers.
An "improper, warrantless search"
It his ruling Monday, Judge Gregory Carro called it an "improper warrantless search" because the backpack was not in the immediate reach of Mangione upon his arrest, which would've created a safety concern or risk he could destroy evidence in the bag.
Carro said that items found during an initial search of the backpack, including a gun magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip must therefore be suppressed.
"The backpack was not within the immediate control of defendant, or grabbable area," Carro wrote.
However, he ruled that prosecutors can use the gun and notebook as evidence because they were recovered at the police station when law enforcement continued searching the bag.
This past December, during evidence suppression hearings in state court, Altoona, Pa. police officers testified they searched the bag to check for explosives.
The judge found officers' actions inconsistent with this, since he says they stopped searching the bag once they found a loaded magazine, and didn't search smaller compartments.
The bag was further searched at the police station.
"The people have established that the subsequent search of the backpack at the station was a valid inventory search," Carro ruled.
Mangione is being tried on both federal and state charges for the December 2024 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. He pleaded not guilty in both cases.
The judge in Mangione's federal case ruled in January that the backpack evidence can be admitted.
Legal expert on Mangione case
Legal expert Richard Schoenstein, who is not affiliated with the Mangione case, said this was a win for the prosecution.
"The gun and the writing that suggest a motive are pretty much the best evidence in the case," he said. "Those were key items in the backpack and probably more important than the things that were excluded, although the loss of cell phone probably a little bit, a little bit of a hit."
When a person is taken into custody, Schoenstein explained that police are able to pat them down. But what makes this situation tricky is that Mangione wasn't wearing the backpack when he was arrested.
"If you have a bag on you, generally that's fair game too. But what makes it a little bit different here is that the bag was apparently sitting on the table. It wasn't touching the person of Luigi Mangione. So there's a question of whether those principles of search apply," Schoenstein said.
Most of the statements Mangione made to law enforcement during the initial interaction are admissible. The judge called the comments spontaneous, and not in response to police questioning. Some questions, like when an officer asked Mangione about a fake ID and why he lied about his name, are out.
"Once there are eight more officers show up, and there's a gaggle of police around him, that is a time at which they clearly should have Mirandized him," Schoenstein said.
State trial pushed back
During his last federal hearing, a judge pushed back the start of Mangione's federal interstate stalking trial.
Later that day, the state trial was also pushed back, from June 8 to Sept. 8. Jury selection for his federal trial will start on Oct. 5, with opening statements either Oct. 26 or Nov. 2.
Defense attorneys previously said they needed more time because they are representing Mangione in multiple cases at the same time.
Prosecutors argued the real reason the defense wanted to postpone was because the lawyers have another high-profile client.
Mangione's lawyers – Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos – confirmed in February they were representing Harvey Weinstein in his sexual assault case. That case ended in a mistrial Friday.