Manhunt Over for UnitedHealthcare CEO's Killer as Pre-Trial Hearings Begin
A hearing to determine what evidence will be allowed at the trial of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, began in New York on Monday. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to nine state charges and federal charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Prosecutors claim that Mangione was in New York City when Thompson was killed outside a hotel, while his defense team argues that certain evidence should be excluded from trial because it was obtained illegally. The judge overseeing the case has set aside several days for the hearing, which is expected to last several more days.
In court Monday, Mangione wore a gray suit instead of prison garb, as requested by his lawyers, and appeared to acknowledge the court officers and attorneys before sitting down. Before entering the courtroom, he was shown surveillance images that police had obtained in the hours and days after the shooting. The defense objected to the relevance of these images.
Mangione's arrest came after a 911 call from the manager at the McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody several days earlier. In this video Mangione is seen sitting and eating while speaking with officers, as well as eventually standing up to be searched by more officers.
The prosecution also shared security footage from the same McDonald's location. There were no audio elements in it. At one point Mangione sat down at a side dining room near the restroom. When two police officers approached him at 9:28 am, Mangione stood with his hands in the air as employees and customers came and went while this happened. It is unclear if Mangione had any contact prior to that.
A hearing to determine what evidence will be allowed at the trial of Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, began in New York on Monday. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to nine state charges and federal charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty.
Prosecutors claim that Mangione was in New York City when Thompson was killed outside a hotel, while his defense team argues that certain evidence should be excluded from trial because it was obtained illegally. The judge overseeing the case has set aside several days for the hearing, which is expected to last several more days.
In court Monday, Mangione wore a gray suit instead of prison garb, as requested by his lawyers, and appeared to acknowledge the court officers and attorneys before sitting down. Before entering the courtroom, he was shown surveillance images that police had obtained in the hours and days after the shooting. The defense objected to the relevance of these images.
Mangione's arrest came after a 911 call from the manager at the McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody several days earlier. In this video Mangione is seen sitting and eating while speaking with officers, as well as eventually standing up to be searched by more officers.
The prosecution also shared security footage from the same McDonald's location. There were no audio elements in it. At one point Mangione sat down at a side dining room near the restroom. When two police officers approached him at 9:28 am, Mangione stood with his hands in the air as employees and customers came and went while this happened. It is unclear if Mangione had any contact prior to that.
I'm low-key shocked about the pre-trial hearings for Luigi Mangione's case... I mean, who knew the guy was a big deal? 
As a fan of true crime podcasts, I've been following this case closely, and I gotta say, it's getting more intriguing by the day. The defense team's push to exclude some evidence is giving me major #TrueCrimeVibes 
. But hey, I guess you never know what the defense has up their sleeve.
. Is this a sign that he's trying to project an image of calm and collected? Or maybe he just really likes gray suits? 
Either way, I'm here for the drama 
I remember when O.J. Simpson was on trial, that was like, what, 20 years ago now? 
And now this kid, Luigi Mangione, is facing the same kind of charges... it's just crazy how fast time flies, right? 
Anyway, I'm not sure if I fully understand the case yet, but from what I've read so far, it seems like there are some pretty big questions about the legality of some of the evidence being used against him. 
What do you think? Should we be worried about how easily cops can just grab surveillance footage and use it in court? 
. And what's up with the defense team trying to get rid of those surveillance pics? Like, are they hiding something? The prosecution is definitely playing it cool, but I'm sure there's more to this story than meets the eye...
. But at the same time, it's hard not to think that there's more to this story than meets the eye 
. I mean, Mangione didn't exactly look like he was ready for a life sentence when he sat down in that courtroom suit 
. And what's with all these pre-trial hearings? It feels like we're just going to be hearing about this case for a while longer... 
. If Mangione's defense team thinks certain evidence was obtained illegally, why are they moving forward with it so fast? It just seems fishy to me 
. And can we talk about the fact that the CEO was killed outside a hotel and now Mangione gets to wear a suit to court? Is this some kinda power move or what? 
I'm definitely keeping an eye on this one...
. and can you believe the surveillance footage from McDonald's was played in court? like wasn't that just to make him look bad 
it's all so confusing.
. And now they're arguing over surveillance footage and police procedure in court? It's like the stakes are way higher than just one life 
. I mean, what's next? Are we gonna see evidence collected during a Starbucks meeting used against someone? 
. Shouldn't we be focusing on why this guy snapped instead of debating the finer points of police procedure? 
And now they're trying to figure out if the surveillance footage is even relevant? Like, what's the point of that? Just so we can see him eating fries at McDonald's before he supposedly committed a murder? 
. I feel bad for Brian Thompson's family, but at the same time, you have to wonder what actually went down that day 
. My gut tells me that this guy is guilty, but my head is telling me to wait until all the facts come out before making a judgment 
It's like they're trying to spin this whole thing into something ridiculous. Mangione's lawyers are just being dramatic if you ask me. And can we talk about how the defense is making a huge deal about him wearing a gray suit instead of prison garb? Like, it's not that deep, folks!