Judge rules some items excluded from evidence in Luigi Mangione trial
by Joe Fisher · UPIMay 18 (UPI) -- A New York state judge ruled Monday that some items found in Luigi Mangione's backpack at the time of his arrest will be excluded from evidence in his trial.
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Gregory Carro ordered items that will be excluded include a handgun magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip, but the alleged murder weapon and writings will be submitted into evidence.
Mangione's attorneys argued that Altoona, Pa., police illegally searched the backpack when arresting him at a McDonald's in 2024. Carro said Mangione could not have accessed the backpack during the arrest and evidence found in the backpack during the search "must be suppressed."
Carro said the justification for searching the backpack was not sufficient. Law enforcement officials said they were concerned there may be a bomb in the backpack.
"However, while the body-worn camera footage showed that officers did express concern at the scene that the backpack might contain a bomb, there was no evidence that a gun was a concern or that it was the basis for the search," Carro wrote in his ruling. "But even if it were a legitimate concern, there was no possibility at the time of the search that the defendant might retrieve a gun from the backpack, and thus no exigency."
The search of the backpack took place after officers read Mangione his Miranda rights and frisked and handcuffed him. They searched the backpack in the restaurant, discovering the handgun magazine, which was loaded, a passport, phone, wallet and a Faraday bag used to block cell signals.
Officers continued to search the backpack after transporting it to the police station in Altoona, Pa.
A journal of writings, allegedly written by Mangione, was found in the backpack and will be included in evidence as Carro said it and the 3D-printed firearm were discovered during a valid search. In the writings, Mangione shares frustrations about the healthcare industry.
Mangione, 28, is accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
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