Luigi Mangione, accused in the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, will return to court on Monday as his attorneys continue to try to suppress evidence from his upcoming trial.
Prosecutors allege Mangione shot and killed Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, in Manhattan. Like last week, the pre-trial hearings this week will sort out which evidence the jury will be allowed to see at trial.
Luigi Mangione
CBS News New York
The hearings are only connected to the state criminal case against him. Mangione is also facing federal charges that could result in the death penalty. The 27-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Evidence recently released by Manhattan DA’s Office
Over the weekend, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office released new photos of evidence, including a cryptic handwritten “TO DO” list, a pocket knife with zip ties, a silver USB necklace, and a credit card with a Greyhound bus pass to Pittsburgh under a fake name.
The exhibits also show the clothing Mangione wore, including black gloves, a beanie and a face mask.
A handwritten note that authorities say was found on Luigi Mangione when he was arrested.
U.S. Attorney’s office
Perhaps the most mysterious piece of evidence released so far is the apparent “TO DO” list that was allegedly folded in Mangione’s pocket. The handwritten list includes the dates Dec. 8 and 9, and the words “Best Buy,” “USB,” “digital cam” and “light source” but crossed out.
Under “Future TO DO” are the phrases “intel check-in” and “survival kit.”
Ex-U.S. Attorney’s take on the evidence
Nick Akerman, a former assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the evidence released Saturday likely won’t make or break the case.
“It does add a lot to the story, but is it absolutely critical? I don’t think so because he is on camera actually committing the crime,” Akerman said.
Mangione’s attorneys argue that everything found in his bag, including the alleged murder weapon, should be excluded from trial because they claim law enforcement did a warrantless search of his backpack after he was handcuffed and surrounded by officers.
“Keep in mind that when you arrest somebody, police have the right to conduct a search. They have a right to conduct a search to make sure the person doesn’t have a weapon on them, for sure. And normally, any kind of search attendant to an arrest is not going to be a problem,” Akerman said.
The defense is also arguing against non-eyewitness identification testimony at trial, meaning someone who was not a witness to an alleged crime who makes an identification from a picture or video.
The arrest of Luigi Mangione
Prosecutors say the evidence was found on Mangione the day of his arrest on Dec. 9, 2024, at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Officers questioned Mangione for more than 20 minutes before they told him he had the right to remain silent.
Police took Mangione into custody after customers and staff called 911. One of the callers on recently released audio identifies herself as the manager of the McDonald’s.
“It’s not really an emergency,” she says. “I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of, that he looked like the CEO shooter in New York. So they’re just really upset, and they’re coming to me, and I’m like, I can’t really approach him.”
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