Luigi Mangione argues double jeopardy in bid to drop murder case, suppress evidence
Share this @internewscast.com

The defense team for the man charged with the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson submitted a motion to the New York Supreme Court on Thursday. They seek to suppress evidence in the prosecution’s case and request a complete dismissal of the charges.

Luigi Mangione’s lawyer, Karen Friedman Angifilo, stated in the filing that statements Mangione made to the Altoona, Pennsylvania police prior to his December 9 arrest should not be admitted at trial.

She argues that two police officers, who found the suspect inside a McDonald’s, “effectively had Mr. Mangione in custody” by blocking the restaurant’s exit during interrogation, without arresting him and informing him of his Miranda rights beforehand.

Friedman Angifilo argues that such questioning violated her client’s Fifth Amendment rights, and thus, his statements made to those officers should be excluded from the trial. 

Luigi Mangione is escorted by NYPD into a van after being extradited from Pennsylvania for the murder of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson.

Luigi Mangione is escorted from an NYPD helicopter in New York City on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Mangione is accused of murdering United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Police also found a small item “enclosed in cardboard and wrapped in tape.” Inside was a computer chip which was also taken as evidence.

Further, the motion seeks to ban the state “from eliciting lay non-eyewitness identification testimony at trial.” The state seeks plans to call NYPD Detective Oscar Diaz and Altoona police officers Joseph Detwiler and Tyler Frye to identify Mangione through surveillance footage based on their “familiarity with the defendant.”

“Here, the proposed witnesses are not eyewitnesses to the crime,” according to the motion. “Moreover, the witnesses had no interactions with Mr. Mangione prior to the video surveillance to make them ‘sufficiently familiar’ with Mr. Mangione.”

The defense also asked the court to dismiss the terrorism charges against Mangione, alleging that the grand jury that indicted him “failed to establish the required element that Mr. Mangione intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policies of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion or affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination or kidnapping.”

Luigi Mangione appears in court

Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for a status hearing in New York City on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Mangione is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a Manhattan hotel last year. (Curtis Means/Pool)

Finally, Friedman Angifilo asked the state of New York to drop the entire case against her client, claiming that trying him at the state and federal levels concurrently constitutes double jeopardy and thus a violation of Mangione’s Fifth Amendment rights. 

“This Court is all that stands between justice and Mr. Mangione being forced to stand trial against illegally obtained evidence, terrorism-related charges that have no application to the alleged shooting of one man and concurrent prosecutions that violate the Double Jeopardy Clause and his constitutional rights,” the motion concludes. 

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said they will respond in court filings of their own.

Mangione, 26, was also indicted in the Southern District of New York on federal charges of stalking and murdering Thompson, as well as using electronic communications, interstate travel and a firearm when he allegedly killed the healthcare insurance CEO.

Luigi Mangione departs the courtroom following his arraignment

Luigi Mangione departs the courtroom following his arraignment in New York City Criminal Court on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

He was also charged federally with one count of using a firearm to commit murder, one count of interstate stalking resulting in death, one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

Mangione is accused of ambushing Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel where UnitedHealthcare’s annual shareholder conference was being held on Dec. 4, 2024. Prosecutors believe the fatal shooting was meant to send a message to the healthcare insurance industry based on a manifesto found on the suspect when he was arrested days after Thompson’s murder.

He would face the death penalty if convicted. 

Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin contributed to this report. 

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
On Maduro’s ‘terror island,’ Hezbollah operatives move in as tourists drift out

Hezbollah Presence Grows on Venezuela’s ‘Terror Island’ as Tourism Declines Under Maduro’s Regime

From afar, Margarita Island appears to be the quintessential Caribbean paradise, with…
Jake Paul fight: Anthony Joshua knocks out YouTuber in 6th round to win heavyweight bout

Anthony Joshua Defeats Jake Paul with Sixth-Round Knockout in Heavyweight Showdown

MIAMI — In a thrilling showdown on Friday night, Anthony Joshua delivered…
State Attorney's Office to seek death penalty for suspect in deadly Putnam County stabbing

Putnam County Stabbing Case: State Attorney Pursues Death Penalty for Suspect

The harrowing nature of a recent crime in Putnam County, Florida, has…
Several elephants killed in train collision as impact causes multiple coaches to derail

Tragic Train Collision Claims Elephant Lives and Derails Multiple Coaches: Urgent Call for Wildlife Safety Measures

In a tragic incident early Saturday, a high-speed passenger train struck a…
Elizabeth Smart blasts Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘country club’ prison treatment: ‘Makes me sick’

Elizabeth Smart Condemns Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘Luxury’ Prison Conditions: ‘It’s Appalling

Elizabeth Smart has expressed her anger over reports that Ghislaine Maxwell, the…
Substitute teacher arrested after encouraging kids to fight at Duval County middle school, police say

Duval County Substitute Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Inciting Student Fights at Middle School

A substitute teacher at Lake Shore Middle School in Jacksonville, Florida, has…
Australian state weighs ban on 'globalize the intifada' chants, masked protesters in wake of Hanukkah attack

Australian State Considers Ban on Controversial Chants and Masks Post-Hanukkah Attack

In New South Wales, Australia, authorities are considering a prohibition on the…
Palmdale Street shooting on Jacksonville's Northwest side leaves man dead

Teen Among Five Injured in Arlington House Party Shooting Following Heated Argument

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An early morning house party in Jacksonville’s Arlington area…
University of Illinois lesson materials push leftist race, class struggles on future teachers: leaked lectures

Leaked Lectures Reveal University of Illinois’ Approach to Teaching Social Issues to Future Educators

EXCLUSIVE: Newly leaked slides from a freshman course at the University of…
After firing Steve Wilks, Aaron Glenn needs to get next DC hire right

Aaron Glenn Faces Crucial Decision: Finding the Right Defensive Coordinator After Steve Wilks’ Departure

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn is proactively searching for a new defensive…
Hot Takes: Dems Melt Down Over Kennedy Center Name Change - Ric Grenell Levels Them With Reality

Democrats React Strongly to Kennedy Center’s Name Change as Ric Grenell Weighs In

The Kennedy Center board recently made a significant decision to honor former…
US forces stop 2nd merchant vessel off coast of Venezuela, American officials say; President Trump ramps up pressure on Maduro

US Forces Intercept Second Merchant Vessel Near Venezuelan Coast, Officials Report; President Trump Intensifies Pressure on Maduro

In a significant development off the coast of Venezuela, U.S. forces intercepted…