A New York judge has ruled that a gun and a notebook can be used as evidence in the murder trial of Luigi Mangione, but suppressed items found during a warrantless search of his backpack at a McDonald's.
Judge Gregory Carro ruled on Monday that evidence recovered at the police station, including the alleged murder weapon, is admissible. However, items found during the initial search of the backpack at the fast-food restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, including a magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip, must be suppressed.
Carro said the search at the McDonald's was an improper warrantless search, rejecting prosecutors' arguments of exigent circumstances. He noted that even if the backpack was within Mangione's control, the prosecution did not meet its burden of demonstrating exigency.
The judge allowed the notebook containing a purported manifesto to be used as evidence, as officers did not open or search it at the McDonald's. He also ruled that Mangione's responses to questions between his detention and being read his Miranda rights, such as why he lied about his name, will be kept out of the trial.
Mangione, who appeared in court wearing a navy blue suit, is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel on 4 December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty in both state and federal cases, with the state trial set for 8 September.
