Luigi Mangione's defense is fighting to exclude evidence in the December 2024 murder trial of the insurance company executive in Manhattan. The 27-year-old graduate of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania has pleaded not guilty to nine state charges, including murder, and federal charges that carry the death penalty. The defense points to violations of the Miranda Act, which guarantees detainees the right to be informed of their rights, and an illegal backpack search in Pennsylvania, where police found a gun, ammunition and a notebook.
What are the charges against Luigi Mangione?
What city is the trial taking place in?
What evidence does the defense want to exclude?
What did the search of Mangione's backpack contain?
During the hearing, Mangione talked to lawyers, smiled and took notes. The judge allowed him to wear civilian clothes, including two suits.
The hearings focused on surveillance footage from New York and Pennsylvania showing both the moment Thompson was shot and the circumstances of the defendant's arrest.
During the hearings, the defense lawyers objected to the use of their client's notes and the identification of people based on photos and recordings. They argued it could unfairly influence the jury. Prosecutors rejected allegations of improper procedures, and the judge ordered the hearings to continue in the following days.
