(NewsNation) — The New York pretrial hearing for alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione concluded Thursday after nearly three weeks of testimony, with the defense seeking to suppress key evidence.
New York Judge Gregory Carro is expected to decide by May 18 which evidence will be admissible in court and set a date for the state murder trial to begin.
Mangione was arrested a year ago and charged in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024. The case has drawn national attention, with some of Mangione’s supporters framing his alleged actions as a justified protest against the U.S. health care system. At the same time, critics characterize him as a cold-blooded killer.
Key evidence should be tossed: Defense
Throughout the state pretrial hearing, Mangione’s lawyers have argued that several key pieces of evidence collected during the arrest should be thrown out of court.
Mangione’s defense says he was questioned and searched at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, before being read his Miranda Rights. They allege that many items from his backpack were taken illegally during the search, including the alleged murder weapon.
Prosecutors say the search was legal because it was conducted in conjunction with an arrest and officers were checking to make sure there were no dangerous items in the bag that could be harmful to them or the public. Police eventually obtained a warrant, prosecutors said.
Additionally, the defense argued the timeline created by the District Attorney’s office is incomplete and biased, omitting crucial discussions police had about whether they needed a warrant to arrest Mangione. Carro ruled the timeline can be used in court, but only as a guide.
The defense is also fighting the language used in court, objecting every time prosecutors call the killing an “execution” or “assassination.”
Officers involved with Mangione’s arrest testify
The hearing included testimony from 17 witnesses, including multiple officers involved with Mangione’s arrest.
Under cross-examination, the Altoona officer in charge of evidence admitted that he failed to log the exact time he sealed evidence bags on a separate inventory sheet and left boxes unchecked on that sheet.
Lead NYPD homicide Detective Dave Leonardi took the stand and was pressed on why he placed Mangione in an interrogation room to be recorded without a lawyer, even after Mangione had asked for one.
Pennsylvania is a two-part consent state, meaning both parties must consent to being recorded. Mangione had not agreed to this and was unaware he was being recorded. The assistant DA said he would throw out any statements made by Mangione in the interrogation room.
Mangione is scheduled to appear in federal court Jan. 9 for a pretrial hearing. He has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. If convicted federally, the alleged murderer could face the death penalty.
‘Everyone has the right to a fair trial’: Mangione supporter
Mangione’s supporters have shown up in droves to his pretrial, reminiscent of a celebrity trial, with people buying hotel rooms and waiting in line to enter the courtroom.
One of the supporters told NewsNation they’re “in support of due process” and that “everyone has the right to a fair trial.”
“I think it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think that message has been getting kind of … misconstrued. It’s been getting lost because people are talking about the alleged crime without using certain words like ‘alleged,’” the supporter added.
NewsNation’s Marcus Espinoza contributed to this report.
