Suspected murderer Luis Mangione scored a partial win Monday when a judge ruled that some key evidence found in backpack during his arrest will be inadmissible at trial.
Other evidence, including the suspected murder weapon, is admissible.
Mangione is charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Mangione, 28, was found at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt.
Authorities say he fatally shot Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in New York City on Dec. 4, 2024.
He was arrested and charged with nine felony counts, including second-degree murder, in New York state court, as well as separate charges in Pennsylvania and federal court.
A nine-day hearing was held in December 2025 when Mangione’s attorneys and prosecutors argued over whether evidence police found in Mangione’s backpack — including a notebook, a silencer and a 3D-printed handgun — and statements he later made to law enforcement should be admitted at trial.
Mangione’s attorneys argued that police searched the backpack before obtaining a warrant and should be excluded.
The defense also asked the court to toss out statements Mangione made to police, contending he was interrogated before being read his Miranda rights.
Prosecutors argued that the searches complied with Pennsylvania and New York law, local police procedure and a subsequently obtained search warrant provides an independent basis to admit the evidence.
Cheryl Bader, a professor of law at Fordham University, said all is not lost for the prosecution. Other purported evidence against Mangione includes items found near the crime scene that authorities say contained his DNA, including a cell phone and a water bottle.
“It doesn’t mean that the case can’t go forward, right?” she said. “They also have DNA evidence and surveillance photos.”
Mangione’s state trial in New York is scheduled to begin in September; his federal trial is set to start in January.
