Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal court, Dec. 23, 2024, in New York. (Curtis Means\/Pool Photo via AP, file)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-05-18T14:01:22Z<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Luigi Mangione<\/a><\/span> to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson<\/a><\/span> can be used as evidence at his murder trial, a judge ruled Monday, rejecting a defense argument that they were seized illegally, before a search warrant was obtained.<\/p>\n Judge Gregory Carro\u2019s decision, five months after he held a hearing to examine how police came upon the items, is a major win for prosecutors, enabling them to show the jury a possible murder weapon and evidence they say points to motive. That mirrors an earlier ruling in Mangione\u2019s federal case<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n The judge allowed evidence obtained during a subsequent inventory of his backpack at the police station, but said evidence found during an initial search of Mangione\u2019s backpack during his arrest at a McDonald\u2019s restaurant must be suppressed, including a gun ammunition magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip. \u201cI find that the search of backpack at the McDonald\u2019s was an improper warrantless search,\u201d the judge said.<\/p>\n Mangione\u2019s state murder trial<\/a><\/span> is set to begin on Sept. 8. Jury selection for his federal trial, which involves stalking charges, is scheduled to start on Oct. 13, with opening statements and testimony beginning on Nov. 4. The state trial is expected to take four to six weeks.<\/p>\n Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty in both cases. He faces the possibility of life in prison if he is convicted in either one.<\/p>\n Police found the gun, notebook and other items in Mangione\u2019s backpack after he was spotted eating breakfast at a McDonald\u2019s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2024, five days after Thompson was killed outside a Manhattan hotel<\/a><\/span>. Altoona is about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.<\/p>\n The gun, a 3D-printed pistol, matches the one used to kill Thompson, prosecutors said. The notebook, which prosecutors have termed as a \u201cmanifesto,\u201d describes wanting to \u201cwack\u201d a health insurance executive and rebelling against \u201cthe deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel.\u201d<\/p>\nBoth sides win something in this ruling<\/h2>\n