Judge allows gun, notebook as evidence in Mangione murder trial
Donna Rotunno, a seasoned criminal defense lawyer and legal analyst, offers insight into a New York City judge’s contentious decision to allow a gun and notebook found in Luigi Mangione’s backpack to be used as evidence in his murder trial. Rotunno raises concerns about the potential ramifications of this ruling. The case has garnered considerable public attention and support for Mangione, drawing parallels to a trial with the media frenzy akin to the O.J. Simpson case.
Luigi Mangione, accused of murder, made a brief appearance in a New York City courtroom on Wednesday. Despite his presence, details about the proceedings were scarce more than a day later. Reporters were informed that the hearing had been sealed at the request of the defense team.
The 28-year-old, who once attended an Ivy League school, is charged with stalking and fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, aged 50, as Thompson was outside a Manhattan Hilton hotel.
Representatives for Mangione’s defense team refused to comment on the hearing, and the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg did not provide any statements when asked for clarification.
Luigi Mangione appears at an evidence suppression hearing at the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on May 18, 2026. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)
The decision to close the hearing has sparked concerns about the lack of transparency in a case that is one of the nation’s most closely watched. Mangione, the alleged perpetrator, has received over $1.5 million in support for his legal defense from his backers.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a media lawyer who asked Judge Gregory Carro’s staff for an explanation received a terse response before a clerk hung up on him.
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, is shown in an undated portrait provided by UnitedHealth. He was shot and killed on his way to an investor conference in New York City in what prosecutors described as a politically motivated assassination. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)
On Thursday, a court spokesperson did not respond to questions about the secrecy from News Agency.
Mangione faces separate charges at the state and federal levels and is due back in respective courtrooms later this month in both cases.
He has pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a forged instrument.
But prosecutors allege he stalked Thompson, a father of two, from Minnesota to New York to kill him outside an investor conference scheduled to kick off just hours after the murder.
Luigi Mangione appears at an evidence suppression hearing at the Manhattan Supreme Court in New York City on May 18, 2026. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via Pool)
Surveillance video shows a masked figure approach Thompson from behind and open fire with a handgun, striking him multiple times in the back.
A series of handwritten missives that police allegedly recovered from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest also paints sharp criticism of the health insurance industry as a potential motive, according to prosecutors.
Luigi Mangione shouts as officers restrain him while arriving for his extradition hearing at Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pa., on Dec. 10, 2024. Mangione is the prime suspect in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. (David Dee Delgado for News Agency)
The defense challenged evidence obtained during Mangione’s arrest in both cases. The federal judge, Margaret Garnett, is allowing it in.
Carro, overseeing the state case, found that some of the evidence from Mangione’s backpack is inadmissible in New York.
Evidence ruled admissible includes the gun, a 3D-printed silencer, and a red notebook that allegedly contains damning writing. Evidence to be suppressed includes a phone, Mangione’s passport, loaded magazines, a wallet and a computer chip.
His New York trial is scheduled to begin in September. The federal one will take place after that.
