A hearing focused on a defense effort to exclude evidence from Luigi Mangione's state murder trial just completed its second week — and revealed new details about his December 2024 arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.
Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024, faces New York state charges, including one count of second-degree murder, seven counts of various weapons charges, and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione was also charged with two federal counts of stalking, one count of murder through the use of a firearm, and one count of a firearms offense.
He has pleaded not guilty to nine state counts and four federal charges filed separately. The federal charges come with the possibility of the death penalty.
Here are some of the most crucial moments from the hearing in a downtown Manhattan courthouse so far.
A back-and-forth about search warrants
On Friday, Altoona Police Sgt. Eric Heuston said he drafted two search warrants after Mangione’s arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on Dec. 9, 2024, five days after the shooting. One warrant authorized the continued search and seizure of Mangione and his backpack, which also allowed the NYPD to seize the property. Another warrant authorized the seizure of his clothing. The first warrant was signed by a judge on Dec. 9, while the second one was approved the following day, Heuston testified.
Heuston said that the Altoona Police Department documented everything Mangione had on him the day of the arrest, including clothing and money, which Heuston said they are preserving for the NYPD.
Prosecutors asked Heuston on Friday if the police department had planted any cash on Mangione, who claimed he only had about $100 on his person. Altoona police documented over $7,000.
"We had proof of the U.S. currency on his person," Heuston said, adding that he and his colleagues did not plant money on Mangione.
On Tuesday, Altoona Police Officer Stephen Fox was also asked about the need for a warrant to search Mangione’s bag. He doubled down on the fact that Mangione had committed a crime at the McDonald’s when he provided officers with a forged identification card, which would mean a search warrant was not needed. Bodycam video played in court Tuesday showed Mangione telling an officer that his name is “Mark Rosario” and handing over the forged card.
Defense objects to submission of evidence
On Thursday, Mangione’s attorney, Karen Agnifilo, objected to the district attorney’s release of the full video of the shooting, arguing that the DA is "plainly" trying to litigate the case in "the court of public opinion" and distract from what she called a "botched" search and arrest. Agnifilo said this has "real consequences," noting Mangione could face the death penalty in his federal case.
Agnifilo also criticized prosecutors for playing bodycam video of an Altoona Police Department officer searching Mangione’s backpack and finding his notebook, which one officer called a "manifesto." The video showed Officer Christy Wasser briefly looking inside Mangione’s notebook, but its contents weren’t visible from the camera angle.
"He just wants to play the word 'manifesto' over and over again," Agnifilo said about prosecutor Joel Siedemann.
911 calls played in court
Thursday's proceedings also featured the playing of multiple 911 calls made by Altoona Police Lt. William Hanelly on the morning of Mangione's arrest. In one call, Hanelly told an NYPD dispatcher that he believes they have the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect in custody, adding that his photos and name match the description that was released to the public.
On the stand, Hanelly said he made the calls to the NYPD to get the "ball rolling."
"I knew I would have to get through several layers, until getting through to someone at the NYPD with authority," Hanelly said.
Fox, another Altoona police officer, testified Tuesday that Mangione found it "wild" that spectators and reporters were gathered at his arraignment at a Pennsylvania courthouse following his arrest.
"All of these people are here for a mass murderer? Wild," Mangione said, according to Fox.
Items recovered from Mangione's backpack
Earlier this week, pictures of the items recovered from Mangione’s backpack last year were released, including a loaded handgun, a silencer, a magazine with bullets wrapped in underwear, a notebook, a cellphone, a passport, a Maryland identification card, and various bank and credit cards.
A to-do list was also found, with notes scribbled on it, such as "buy black sneakers (white stripe too distinctive)"; "Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows"; "keep momentum, FBI slower"; and "check reports for current situation."
