A judge Monday morning blocked some of the evidence found in Luigi Mangione’s backpack after he was arrested for the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year but allowed some evidence — include a journal — to be used by prosecutors.
Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson in December 2024 as he walked along a Manhattan street to an investors’ conference at. New York hotel. He was captured days later at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania following an exhaustive manhunt.
CNBC said that judge barred a gun “magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and computer chip” — all found in the backpack — from the trial because the pack was not fully in Mangione’s control when he was detained by Altoona police.
Judge Gregory Carro ruled that much of the evidence from the backpack was secured by an “improper and warrantless search,” the BBC reported. He said that some of the questioning officers conducted at the fast food restaurant must be excluded, which included questions about Mangione’s name and a fake identification card. Other questions asked when he was officially in custody will be allowed.
In addition to the notebook, the gun found in the backpack can be included as evidence.
The ruling pertains to Mangione’s state trial, which is expected to begin in September. His federal trial is expected to begin in October.
The judge in the federal case has already allowed the evidence found in the backpack, CrimeOnline reported at the time, but he dropped the death penalty from the case.
Featured image: Luigi Mangione/Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
