Luigi Mangione evidence hearing ends as both sides rest. Here's when a decision on his New York trial is expected.
Testimony in Luigi Mangione's crucial pretrial evidence suppression hearing in his New York murder case has ended, and the outcome is now in the hands of a judge.
The prosecution and defense rested their cases on Thursday, the ninth day of the hearing on whether to allow certain evidence into Mangione's state trial over UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killing in 2024.
Prosecutors called nearly 20 witnesses over eight days, focusing on whether police officers legally questioned Mangione and searched his backpack on the day of his arrest at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
The defense did not call any witnesses.
"Although they did not call any witnesses, they extensively cross examined most of the witnesses who did appear," legal expert Richard Schoenstein said.
"It is very difficult to get evidence suppressed. At the same time, it's a good vehicle for the defense because it's a way to talk to the police officers, and get them under oath, and ask them questions before the trial," Hofstra Law professor Alafair Burke said.
Mangione, 27, also faces a federal trial that includes the possibility of the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
What's next?
The judge will now determine if evidence found inside Mangione's backpack -- a pistol, silencer and notebook -- and his statements to police will be admitted during the state trial.
The defense will file a submission to the court by Jan. 29 and prosecutors will respond by March 5. The judge will issue a decision on May 18.
"The purpose of those written submissions is to organize all that evidence so each side can tell the judge what it is they think was proved and then to present the legal points and authorities on the issues at hand," Schoenstein said.
Multiple officers testified for prosecution
Multiple Altoona police officers who either responded to the McDonald's during Mangione's arrest or assisted back at the police station took the stand during the hearing.
Officers testified they responded to the restaurant after the manager called 911 saying customers reported seeing someone who looked like the person of interest after Thompson was gunned down in Manhattan. They said it's the department's procedure to search everyone under arrest and their bags.
Mangione was charged with forgery, a felony in Pennsylvania, after providing officers with a fake ID when they first approached him. Body camera video of the arrest, audio of 911 calls and photos of evidence were released during the hearing.
On Tuesday, an officer testified about his role as an evidence custodian and walked through the department's process for documenting and processing evidence. An NYPD lieutenant also testified about traveling to Altoona and bringing evidence to a crime lab in Manhattan.
What Mangione's defense team says
Mangione's defense team claimed none of the backpack evidence should be allowed in the trial because officers did not have a search warrant at the time. They also argued statements Mangione made to law enforcement during the encounter should be tossed because he was not read his Miranda rights for about 20 minutes.
Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo said she expected prosecutors to call an NYPD detective to the stand Thursday, but they did not. Agnifilio said she wanted a chance to question him to correct a statement that was allegedly never made.
"They relied on a statement made by his mother that she said she could see him doing something like this. That's an absolutely false statement that was never said," Agnifilo said to reporters after the hearing ended.
Agnifilo claims she instead said "that she could never see her son being a risk to himself or others."
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office declined to comment.
The judge told the defense it could have called any NYPD member to the stand. Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg was asked about it.
"We'll say what needs to be said in that matter ... in the court proceeding or in papers," Bragg said.
The defense also claimed the release of a video showing Thompson's killing in its entirety influences public perception and the jury pool. The judge said issues related to that would be addressed during the vetting of potential jurors.