Luigi Mangione's Lawyers Push for Evidence Toss in NY State Court
The high-profile case against Mangione, accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel last year, is set to hit the New York state court system this week. Mangione's lawyers are fighting to have crucial evidence in the case thrown out, arguing that police officers failed to read their client his Miranda rights and obtained a warrant without proper authority.
Prosecutors say that a gun, notebook, and electronic devices found on Mangione's backpack during a December search at a Pennsylvania McDonald's provide strong ties between Mangione and Thompson's shooting. However, the defense claims that body camera footage shows officers questioning Mangione immediately after approaching him, without reading him his rights for nearly 20 minutes.
The defense motion also argues that police unlawfully searched Mangione's backpack both at the McDonald's and at the precinct. Investigators say a notebook recovered from the backpack contains a passage where Mangione describes an intent to target the CEO of an insurance company.
With state and federal murder charges on the table, Mangione faces potentially life in prison if convicted in the state case and could also face the death penalty in the federal case if found guilty. Despite being deemed a folk hero by some due to his opposition to the American health insurance industry, others have portrayed him as a cold-blooded assassin.
Legal experts say that getting Judge Gregory Carro to block certain evidence will be an uphill battle for Mangione's lawyers. "The defense is going to have an uphill battle when it comes to suppressing evidence found in the backpack," said Jason Swergold, a former federal prosecutor.
A three-day suppression hearing is expected to take place at the Lower Manhattan courthouse, drawing huge crowds. The defense team has requested that Mangione be allowed to remain unshackled during the proceedings, and two new suits have been delivered to the Brooklyn detention center where he is being held for him to wear.
Suppression hearings offer a crucial opportunity for the defense to question key witnesses ahead of trial, potentially using any testimony generated at the pre-trial hearing to impeach those witnesses. "The number one goal is of course to win the motions, but the number two goal is to discover more information," said Anna Cominsky, a professor at New York Law School and director of its criminal defense clinic.
With multiple police witnesses scheduled to testify and the outcome hanging in the balance, Mangione's lawyers are racing against time to build their case.
The high-profile case against Mangione, accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown hotel last year, is set to hit the New York state court system this week. Mangione's lawyers are fighting to have crucial evidence in the case thrown out, arguing that police officers failed to read their client his Miranda rights and obtained a warrant without proper authority.
Prosecutors say that a gun, notebook, and electronic devices found on Mangione's backpack during a December search at a Pennsylvania McDonald's provide strong ties between Mangione and Thompson's shooting. However, the defense claims that body camera footage shows officers questioning Mangione immediately after approaching him, without reading him his rights for nearly 20 minutes.
The defense motion also argues that police unlawfully searched Mangione's backpack both at the McDonald's and at the precinct. Investigators say a notebook recovered from the backpack contains a passage where Mangione describes an intent to target the CEO of an insurance company.
With state and federal murder charges on the table, Mangione faces potentially life in prison if convicted in the state case and could also face the death penalty in the federal case if found guilty. Despite being deemed a folk hero by some due to his opposition to the American health insurance industry, others have portrayed him as a cold-blooded assassin.
Legal experts say that getting Judge Gregory Carro to block certain evidence will be an uphill battle for Mangione's lawyers. "The defense is going to have an uphill battle when it comes to suppressing evidence found in the backpack," said Jason Swergold, a former federal prosecutor.
A three-day suppression hearing is expected to take place at the Lower Manhattan courthouse, drawing huge crowds. The defense team has requested that Mangione be allowed to remain unshackled during the proceedings, and two new suits have been delivered to the Brooklyn detention center where he is being held for him to wear.
Suppression hearings offer a crucial opportunity for the defense to question key witnesses ahead of trial, potentially using any testimony generated at the pre-trial hearing to impeach those witnesses. "The number one goal is of course to win the motions, but the number two goal is to discover more information," said Anna Cominsky, a professor at New York Law School and director of its criminal defense clinic.
With multiple police witnesses scheduled to testify and the outcome hanging in the balance, Mangione's lawyers are racing against time to build their case.
I'm keeping an eye on this case... it seems like Mangione's lawyers are trying to spin a pretty tricky web of circumstances to get evidence tossed out. The fact that they're arguing police officers didn't read them their Miranda rights or followed proper protocol raises some serious red flags, but at the same time, the prosecutors have got some solid connections between Mangione and Thompson.
this whole thing is like so complicated 
i mean mangione's lawyers are trying to say that cops didn't do their job right when they stopped him at the mcdonald's but then there's all this other stuff in his backpack like a gun and notebook... it's like he's trying to flip himself into hero mode 
while on trial for murder 
can't believe the prosecution is gonna try to tie him to thompson's death with that stuff 
Give me a break, right? It's like something out of a movie. And Mangione's team thinks that body cam footage is gonna save his bacon? That's rich 
. I just hope Judge Carro doesn't fall for all the tricks and knows what's really going on here. This whole thing is just so... 90s, you know? Like something from a crime drama from back in the day 
Like, if police didn't read his rights for like 20 minutes, doesn't that mean they can't use that stuff as evidence? 
Maybe they'll be able to get some stuff suppressed and make their case stronger?
...
The defense team thinks they can use it to their advantage, but I don't think the prosecution will let them get away with it that easily 
... what do you guys think is gonna happen in this case? 
- Bob Dylan
meanwhile, prosecutors have some solid evidence and it sounds like they're not giving anything away. judge Carro's gonna have to weigh in on all this, but let's be real, he's probably gonna rule against Mangione's crew 
. I'm not saying the cops are trying to frame this guy, but come on, a 20-minute wait before reading him his rights? That's just suspicious 
. But let's be real, this is all just a big show to distract us from the real issues... like who really pulls the strings in this country? 
. And what about those two new suits he's been sent by the defense team? Is that just a coincidence or something more? 
. However, prosecutors argue that the recovered items provide substantial links between Mangione and Thompson's assassination 
.
. One thing is certain: Mangione's lawyers must navigate this treacherous terrain with caution to avoid having their case irreparably damaged 