Luigi Mangione, the accused killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared once more in court Monday for a pretrial hearing to determine the body of evidence that will be allowed at his upcoming New York state murder trial.
The stakes are high: If Judge Gregory Carro agrees with the defense, items found in his backpack and statements he made at the time of his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, could be excluded.
Over three days last week, prosecutors called a series of witnesses who could speak to Mangione’s arrest, which occurred at a McDonald’s after a customer thought he looked like the man wanted in Thompson’s murder. On Monday, prosecutors called the officer who first went through Mangione’s backpack.
Inside was a loaded magazine wrapped in a pair of wet underwear, according to officer Christy Wasser, per The Associated Press. Elsewhere in the bag, Wasser found a firearm, and then a suppressor and a red notebook that allegedly references the shooting.
Another officer was reportedly heard on body camera footage saying, “It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%.”
Mangione’s attorneys argue that the local police were too quick to search and question him, and that evidence garnered before a warrant was obtained and his rights read aloud should not be shown to the jury.