Luigi Mangione appears in court as lawyers ask judge to toss evidence

Luigi Mangione is appeared in Manhattan state court on Monday for the first day of a potentially weeklong proceeding to weigh the legality of evidence gathered during his arrest after the killing of a prominent healthcare executive.Mangione was apprehended last December in the murder of senior United Healthcare figure Brian Thompson last December. In addition to state-level charges, he faces a Manhattan federal court case.Thompson’s brutal slaying on the streets of New York city triggered an intense manhunt for the killer, but also sparked an outpouring of anger at the practices of the US for-profit healthcare industry. Since his arrest Mangione has attracted some enthusiastic supporters, both online and at his court appearances.Mangione entered the courtroom wearing a slate coat with a patterned button-down shirt, a white background with reddish lines creating a check-like pattern. When Mangione entered the room, he was cuffed, but the restraints were taken off shortly after he sat down.The accused killer has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Mangione’s appearance comes just over two months after he landed a major legal victory in his state case.Judge Gregory Carro threw out the two top state charges against him – first-degree murder and second-degree murder, both of which prosecutors had contended were terrorism crimes – on 16 September. Carro said “the evidence put forth was legally insufficient” for those terrorism-related charges.Mangione still faces nine counts in his state case, including second-degree murder. The sentence for second-degree murder in New York spans from 25 years to life in prison.Mangione’s legal team has repeatedly pushed for the exclusion of evidence gathered during his arrest at an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s restaurant on 9 December 2024. They have claimed that police, who came to the fast-food eatery based on an anonymous tip, did not immediately apprise Mangione of his constitutional rights.Mangione’s lawyers have argued that because he was not apprised of his rights, his statements to police should not be permitted in court. They also argue that evidence taken during his arrest should be barred, saying they conducted a “warrantless search” of Mangione’s backpack.More than two dozen witnesses could testify at the proceedings that start this week, to answer questions about how his arrest unfolded and evidence collected. The potential witnesses include police involved in Mangione’s case.While there were fewer admirers in attendance than at past proceedings, and a seeming lack of date night-style attire that had become de rigueur among some supporters, they were as energized as ever.In the women’s restroom, Mangione’s supporters chatted among themselves about this proceeding. One, who sported a satiny sash emblazoned with Luigi in green, appeared to commiserate with another supporter about not being permitted to wear the prom-queen evoking accessory.Other accoutrements were more straightforward. One supporter wore a shirt stating: “11 minutes of missing body camera footage.”