The judge presiding over Luigi Mangione's Manhattan state court trial ruled on Monday that certain evidence collected during his arrest must be suppressed, while other items will be admissible. Judge Gregory Carro issued the decision on 18 May, barring evidence found during a warrantless search of Mangione's backpack at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Carro ruled that items recovered from the backpack at the restaurant—including a magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and computer chip—cannot be used as evidence. However, evidence obtained later at the police station, including a gun alleged to be the murder weapon, was deemed admissible as part of a valid inventory search.
The defence had argued that Mangione was not informed of his constitutional rights upon arrest on 9 December 2024, and that the backpack search was unlawful. Carro agreed, stating that the prosecution failed to demonstrate exigent circumstances to justify a warrantless search. He also ruled that Mangione's responses to police questions before being read his Miranda rights would be excluded from trial.
Carro allowed prosecutors to introduce Mangione's notebook, which reportedly contains a manifesto, as it was not opened or searched at the McDonald's. Mangione faces charges for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on 4 December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty in both state and federal cases.
