A Latest York judge dealt a serious blow to Luigi Mangione on Monday, May 18, ruling that key evidence against the accused CEO killer, including a weapon and manifesto-style writings, will be utilized in his upcoming state trial, Us Weekly can confirm.
Judge Gregory Carro‘s decision got here after nine days of pretrial hearings on the Manhattan Criminal Court in December 2025, during which Mangione’s defense team argued that items present in their client’s backpack — including a 3D-printed handgun equipped with a silencer and a notebook that prosecutors claimed had detailed his intention to “wack” (a misspelling of “whack”) a medical health insurance executive — needs to be inadmissible in court since police didn’t have a search warrant after they arrested Mangione.
Mangione’s lawyers had also fought to suppress statements that the 28-year-old made prior to being detained at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December 2024. Bodycam footage played in court confirmed the defense’s claim that officers asked Mangione questions for nearly 20 minutes before reading him his Miranda rights.
Carro ruled during Monday’s hearing, which Mangione attended in a navy suit, that the gun and notebook will be presented to a jury once the trial begins on September 8 because police discovered each items at their station. Nevertheless, in a small win for Mangione, the judge found that other pieces of evidence, including a loaded gun magazine, passport, cellphone, wallet and computer chip, were inadmissible as a result of what he called an “improper, warrantless search” at McDonald’s.
The Ivy League graduate has pleaded not guilty to the 11 state charges against him, two of which Carro dropped in September 2025 as a result of insufficient evidence of terrorism. He faces life in prison within the Latest York case.
Mangione was also hit with 4 federal charges following his arrest. Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett dismissed two of the counts, including murder through using a firearm, in January, sparing Mangione of the death penalty.
On the time, Garnett also ruled that the gun and other evidence will be utilized in Mangione’s federal trial, which is ready to start in January 2027. He has entered a not guilty plea in that case as well.
Moreover, the Maryland native faces five charges in Pennsylvania, including carrying a firearm and not using a license and false identification to law enforcement. He didn’t enter a plea there before being extradited to Latest York for what his attorneys — and Mangione himself — have called “double jeopardy,” a legal phrase used to explain an individual being prosecuted twice for a similar offense.
Accused killer Luigi Mangione allegedly began a to-do list after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a veteran police officer testified in court on Monday, December 8. Christy Wasser of the Altoona Police Department in Pennsylvania said during a pretrial hearing in Latest York City that she found a red notebook inside Mangione’s backpack […]
Since being taken into custody, Mangione has amassed tens of 1000’s of supporters because of each his physical appearance and a wider frustration with the healthcare system in the US. His legal defense fund has raised greater than $1.5 million to this point, and he gets a whole lot of letters a day on the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
“I’m overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” Mangione said in his only public statement in February 2025. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country and across the globe. While it’s inconceivable for me to answer to most letters, please know that I read each one that I receive. Thanks again to everyone who took the time to jot down. I sit up for hearing more in the long run.”