Judge Gregory Carro ruled Monday that prosecutors in Luigi Mangione’s state murder case can introduce a gun and a notebook they say connect him to the Dec. 4, 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, rejecting a defense argument that the evidence was seized illegally. Carro’s decision came months after he held a hearing on how police came upon the items during searches of a backpack carried by Mangione, who was later arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
Carro said the evidence he allowed includes items found after officers inventoried what was in the backpack once Mangione was at a police station, including what prosecutors describe as a 3D-printed pistol that matches the weapon used in Thompson’s killing and a notebook containing notes prosecutors say show motive. Prosecutors also argued that a later search conducted according to inventory procedures qualifies as an exception to constitutional limits on unreasonable searches and seizures, and the judge ruled that the inventory search was admissible.
At the same time, Carro excluded other items that police seized earlier, before the later inventory, during an initial look through the backpack at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona. The judge said the loaded gun magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and a computer chip that officers found during that earlier stage resulted from what he described as an “improper warrantless search,” and he said portions of New York law controlled the analysis for that first seizure.
Carro’s ruling also cut back on parts of what Mangione told police before he was handcuffed. The judge ruled out some statements made when Mangione was “effectively in custody” but had not yet been informed of his right to remain silent, according to testimony and recorded evidence described in court. In the account presented, Mangione told police early on that he did not want to talk, but officers engaged him for nearly 20 minutes before he admitted he had given a fake name and a phony New Jersey driver’s license.
Prosecutors said the name Mangione gave matched “Mark Rosario,” which they said was used by the shooter to buy a bus ticket to New York and stay at a Manhattan hostel. The Associated Press reported that an NYPD lieutenant testified in December that the shooter used the same name, and surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson from behind as Thompson walked to his company’s annual investor conference.
The judge’s decision also reflected details about how officers handled the backpack during the initial response to a 911 call. Prosecutors said the searches were tied to a lawful arrest and safety protocols followed in Altoona, but Carro said officers had eliminated the justification for an immediate safety search once the backpack was moved outside Mangione’s “grabbable area” as other customers passed nearby.
One episode described in testimony and body-worn camera video involved an Altoona officer telling a colleague to pause the search and resume later at the station. The Associated Press reported that the officer said, “It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%,” before telling the colleague to “take it back.” The reporting said Carro’s reasoning indicated that evidence logged during the subsequent inventory search—after that pause—was admissible, including items described as apparent to-do lists and getaway plans.
Mangione did not speak as Carro summarized the ruling in court, and supporters crowded the gallery, some wearing “Free Luigi” T-shirts. His state murder trial is set to begin on Sept. 8, and his federal trial—which includes stalking charges—is scheduled for Oct. 13. Mangione, 28, has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases, and the Associated Press reported that if convicted he could spend his life in prison.