Luigi Mangione returned to Manhattan criminal court on 18 May for pretrial rulings on whether prosecutors may use key physical evidence and statements at his New York state murder trial.
At 10 am, a handcuffed Mangione entered the packed courtroom in a dark navy suit and blue checkered shirt.
For the first time since December 2024, proceedings in Mangione’s state case were video recorded, although a court spokesperson confirmed that recording of the September trial is not guaranteed.
In a mixed decision, Judge Gregory Carro suppressed items recovered from the warrantless search of Mangione’s backpack in the Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested, including a loaded magazine, cell phone, passport, wallet, and computer chip. Judge Carro reasoned that police had unlawfully searched the backpack after it was already outside his reach and under officers’ control.
The decision prompted gasps from the courtroom, while Mangione suddenly leaned back in his chair.
However, Judge Carro allowed evidence recovered later during an inventory search at the Altoona police station, including the alleged handgun, a magazine, suppressor, USB drive, and red notebook, to be presented to the jury.
“The second magazine is still admitted; it is just the first magazine from the McDonald’s that will be kept from the jury,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney told reporters after court adjourned.
The defence did not speak with the press following the rulings.
Prosecutors allege that Mangione fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel on 4 December 2024, in an attack motivated by hostility toward the health insurance industry. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
No warrant
The ruling followed December 2025 suppression hearings, during which the court heard testimony from 17 witnesses and reviewed body-worn camera footage from Altoona police.
The defence had sought to suppress the backpack and its contents, arguing that police conducted an unconstitutional warrantless search before obtaining a search warrant.
It further asked the court to exclude statements Mangione made to officers at the McDonald’s, at the police station, and while in custody, arguing that police questioned him in violation of his Miranda rights.
On these motions, Judge Carro found that Mangione was in custody by about 9:47 am, after more than eight officers arrived and effectively surrounded him. Responses to certain questions after that point, including questions about why he had lied about his name and whether he had a fake ID, are thus suppressed.
After Mangione was read Miranda warnings at about 9:48 am, he shook his head when asked if he wanted to speak with officers and later said he was going to remain silent. The court ruled those invocations are not admissible.
Carro also ruled that statements Mangione later made to Pennsylvania correctional officers in Huntingdon Correction Institute, where Mangione was initially incarcerated, were admissible, finding that they were spontaneous or part of casual conversation rather than the product of interrogation.
“Mangionistas”
Hours later, fans of Mangione – self-dubbed “Mangionistas” – made several comments to reporters outside the courthouse condoning violence, which promptly amassed millions of views.
As one of the first reporters to publish on Mangione’s fans obtaining press passes for the trial, I have received “fangirl backlash” for covering the tenuous situation when other reporters did not. That morning, one fan whispered disparaging remarks to me in the press line before the group criticised my coverage of the situation.
Following the fans’ public comments, Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo wrote in a statement, “These individuals do not represent the views of Luigi, nor the tens of thousands who have shown their support from around the world. The only people who speak for Luigi are his attorneys. We condemn these vile and irresponsible statements that have no place in the discourse around these cases”.
The defence likewise stated on 28 April that Mangione “does not support violent actions” and “repeated attempts to connect him to unrelated acts or to insinuate that he condones or supports these acts are irresponsible, dangerous, and prejudicial”.
The New York City Press Office also stated that it would review its press credentialing process.
A virtual hearing was arranged for 3 June to discuss scheduling and any outstanding matters before the state trial begins on 8 September. It is forecasted to last approximately six weeks.
The ruling gives both sides a partial victory: prosecutors retain some of the most significant alleged evidence, while the defence succeeded in excluding several items and statements obtained during the early stages of Mangione’s arrest.
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