NEW YORK (AP) — The pretrial hearing for Luigi Mangione, accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, concluded Thursday with the judge indicating he will decide in May which pieces of evidence prosecutors can introduce during the trial.
Prosecutors wrapped up their case after presenting testimony from nearly 20 witnesses over a period of three weeks. Many of these witnesses were police officers involved in Mangione's arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December 2024. Mangione's defense team chose not to call any witnesses during the hearing.
Judge Carro provided deadlines for both the defense and the prosecution to file written arguments, with defense submissions due by Jan. 29 and prosecutors' responses by March 5. The judge will issue his ruling on May 18.
At the center of the controversy is Mangione's request to exclude certain items from evidence, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook found in his possession. Prosecutors assert that the weapon is a match for the one used in Thompson's shooting on Dec. 4, 2024, and that the notebook contains a statement hinting at an intent to harm a health insurance executive.
The defense argues that the items should not be admissible in court since no search warrant was obtained prior to the search that uncovered them. They contest the legality of the warrantless search performed by police.
According to prosecutors, the search was justified due to the nature of the arrest and concerns about public safety. Initially, police checked the bag for any dangerous items, later securing a search warrant.
Mangione, 27, is currently facing both state and federal murder charges, having pled not guilty. The pretrial hearing pertains only to the state case, though a similar argument to exclude evidence is being pursued in the federal case, where the death penalty is a possibility.
His arrest came after he was identified by restaurant patrons at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approximately 230 miles from Manhattan, where Thompson was killed. The customers, believing he resembled the suspect in Thompson's murder, prompted a call to 911.
