Accused CEO Killer Luigi Mangione Smiles as Defence Claims Police Rights Violation

Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione flashed smiles at photographers during the eighth day of his evidence suppression hearing, whilst his defence team argued Pennsylvania police violated his constitutional rights during his arrest last year.

The 27-year-old appeared relaxed in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, 17 December, even chuckling with photographers who stood too close to the defence table as prosecutors battle to preserve critical evidence linking him to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, The Mirror US reported.

Manhattan District Attorney's office signalled during Tuesday's hearing it would exclude certain statements Mangione made whilst in custody at the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Police Department following his arrest on 9 December 2024.

The development came after a New York Police Lieutenant testified he set up recording equipment inside an interrogation room at the Altoona station house after Mangione was apprehended in a Pennsylvania McDonald's five days after the shooting.

When asked by defence attorney Marc Agnifilo if he knew whether it was legal to record someone in Pennsylvania without their knowledge, the lieutenant conceded he did not know.

To-Do List and Best Buy Purchases Exposed

Altoona Patrolman George Featherstone, the officer in charge of cataloguing evidence, testified about photographing and processing items found on Mangione's body and in his backpack during his arrest, according to NBC News.

Police pulled a slip of crumpled white paper from Mangione's pocket that appeared to be a to-do list. Best Buy was listed under the reminders for 8 December.

Security camera footage shown in court captured Mangione using a laptop at a Best Buy store, Fox News reported. Officers also recovered a Best Buy receipt listing items, including a Polaroid waterproof digital camera and memory cards.

Additional security footage showed Mangione at a CVS drug store. He had a plastic CVS bag containing 25 CVS-brand medical masks when arrested at McDonald's, Featherstone testified.

Featherstone said he has been involved in hundreds of arrests, with about 30% to 40% involving backpacks or bags, and 'every one of them resulted in a search'. When asked how many searches involved a warrant, Featherstone said none that he recalled.

Defence Challenges Warrantless Searches

Defence attorney Karen Agnifilo is seeking to exclude critical evidence from trial that she argues was illegally seized from Mangione's backpack without a warrant, Newsweek said. The disputed items include a 9mm handgun prosecutors say matches the weapon used in Thompson's killing, a notebook, and other key evidence.

Mangione's legal team argues police violated his Fourth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure by conducting warrantless searches of his backpack even after he was removed from the McDonald's and taken into custody.

Body camera footage played during earlier hearing days showed officers continuing to search Mangione's bag after he was no longer in the building, raising questions about whether the exigency still existed to justify the warrantless search, amNewYork reported.

The defence has also challenged whether officers properly read Mangione his Miranda rights, noting that video evidence showed him telling police he didn't want to talk, yet officers continued asking questions for nearly 20 minutes before informing him of his right to remain silent.

High Stakes Evidence Battle

The multi-day suppression hearing will determine what evidence can be used when Mangione goes on trial for charges of gunning down Thompson on a Manhattan pavement on 4 December 2024.

Prosecutors allege the handgun found in Mangione's backpack matches the firearm used in the killing. They claim writings in his notebook laid out his disdain for health insurers and ideas about killing a CEO at an investor conference.

Police also say Mangione gave them the same fake name the alleged gunman used at a New York hostel days before the shooting.

The defence team's success in excluding this evidence would be a massive setback for prosecutors, who would lack a murder weapon and evidence pointing to a motive to tie Mangione to Thompson's death.

Mangione faces one count of second-degree murder, seven counts of weapons charges, and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument in New York state court. He also faces federal charges, including stalking and murder through the use of a firearm, which carry the possibility of the death penalty.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Thompson, 50, was shot from behind as he walked to an investor conference outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel. The shooting was captured on surveillance footage and sparked a five-day nationwide manhunt before Mangione's arrest.

Despite facing charges that could result in life imprisonment or death, Mangione appeared in good spirits during Tuesday's hearing, frequently glancing at supporters in the courtroom gallery and smiling for photographers documenting the proceedings.

The evidence suppression hearing is expected to continue for several more days as Acting Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro weighs the defence's arguments about constitutional violations during the investigation.