NEW YORK — The man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appeared in court on Monday to have evidence thrown out of his murder trial.
Luigi Mangione was in court in New York City as his attorneys asked the judge to bar the 9mm handgun and a notebook that was found during a search of his backpack days after the shooting that killed Thompson, The Associated Press reported.
The items were found in his bag when he was identified at a McDonald’s in west-central Pennsylvania, hundreds of miles away from the deadly shooting.
The notebook allegedly had his plan to “whack” a health insurance executive, the AP reported.
The lawyers said that the police officers who searched Mangione’s backpack did not have a warrant to do so. An officer was heard on body camera footage saying she was looking in the backpack to make sure there “wasn’t a bomb” inside.
Defense attorneys said it was an excuse “designed to cover up an illegal warrantless search of the backpack,” the AP reported.
They also want to suppress some statements their client made to the police, including giving a false name and other statements made before the police told him he had the right to remain silent. He allegedly told authorities he was Mark Rosario, the same name he used to check into a hostel in Manhattan before the shooting last December.
Prosecutors have used the notebook, quoting from it, for their court filings. The gun was also the possible weapon used to kill Thompson.
The hearing could last more than a week, the AP reported.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges in New York. He also pleaded not guilty in a federal case against him, Reuters reported.
©2025 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
