Judge tosses some key evidence in Luigi Mangione case

Mangione, 28, was found at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after a five-day manhunt. Authorities say he fatally shot Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in New York City on Dec. 4, 2024. He was arrested and charged with nine felony counts, including second-degree murder, in New York state court. Mangione faces separate charges in Pennsylvania and in federal court.

During a nine-day hearing in December 2025, Mangione's attorneys battled prosecutors in New York state court over whether evidence police found in Mangione's backpack at the time - including a notebook, a silencer and a 3D-printed handgun - and statements he later made to law enforcement should be presented at trial.

Mangione's attorneys argued that police searched the backpack multiple times before obtaining a warrant and, therefore, it should be excluded. The defense also asked the court to toss out statements Mangione made to police, arguing that he was interrogated before being read his Miranda rights and after he invoked them.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, argued that the searches were legal and complied with local police procedure. They also said a subsequently-obtained search warrant provides an independent basis to admit the evidence.

Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gregory Carro ruled that some statements Mangione made while in custody at McDonald's and evidence found during the initial search of his backpack must be suppressed, including a cellphone, passport and wallet.

But Carro ruled that a subsequent search of the backpack at the police station, which uncovered a gun and a red notebook, was valid. Carro determined some statements Mangione made to police and correctional officers that were challenged by the defense will also be admissible.

The decision marks a partial victory for Mangione's defense, but it won't completely derail the prosecution's case, according to Cheryl Bader, a professor of law at Fordham University. Other purported evidence against Mangione includes items found near the crime scene that authorities say contained his DNA, including a cell phone and a water bottle.

"It doesn't mean that the case can't go forward, right?" she said. "They also have DNA evidence and surveillance photos."

Evidence tossed after conflicting ruling in federal case

Mangione's attorneys in that case also argued prosecutors should be barred from using evidence found in the backpack because police illegally searched it without a warrant. But U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett denied Mangione's motion on Jan. 30, finding the "entire contents of the backpack fall squarely within several exceptions to the warrant requirement."

The denial came after a much briefer hearing in which government called just one witness and the defense called none.

Mangione's state trial in New York is scheduled to begin in September and his federal trial is set to start in January.