NEW YORK (TNND) — Suspected CEO killer Luigi Mangione will appear in a midtown Manhattan courtroom on Monday for a pretrial hearing to determine proceedings on evidence collected in his backpack and statements he made at the time of his arrest.
Mangione’s attorneys argue that the evidence was obtained improperly and that he was not properly informed of his rights when he was taken into custody at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on December 9, 2024. His arrest followed a five-day manhunt in connection with the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a New York City hotel.
Key evidence – including a 3D printed gun and alleged journal writings – was found in his backpack. If Mangione’s defense succeeds at limiting the evidence, prosecutors would lose the ability to use his writings, which they say paint a clear motive for the shooting.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has quoted extensively from Mangione’s handwritten diary in court filings, including his praise for Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In it, prosecutors say, Mangione mused about rebelling against “the deadly, greed fueled health insurance cartel” and said killing an industry executive “conveys a greedy bastard that had it coming.”
Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told a judge in an unrelated matter last week that Manhattan prosecutors could call more than two dozen witnesses.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of murder, including murder as an act of terrorism, and is being held in a Brooklyn federal jail. The terrorism charges were dismissed in September by a New York judge, but Mangione is still charged with second-degree murder.
If convicted in state court, the second-degree murder charge carries a potential penalty of 15 years to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The next hearing in the federal case is scheduled for Jan. 9.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors in April to seek the death penalty against Mangione, following through on the president’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment.
“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement. “After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”
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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.