Luigi Mangione’s lawyers have asked a Pennsylvania court to exclude evidence against the accused UnitedHealthcare killer, claiming arresting officers illegally searched his belongings days after last year’s slaying in New York.
Pennlive reported that police who arrested Mangione in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, searched through Mangione’s items but lacked reasonable suspicion. Mangione’s attorneys also claimed that any DNA evidence obtained at that time was also compromised due to the illegal search.
Arresting officers allegedly gave Mangione food and soda to acquire his DNA.
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Additionally, the defense has asked the court to refrain from referring to Mangione’s notebook as a “manifesto.” They claimed police told the public that they located a “manifesto” after Mangione’s arrest.
Mangione was arrested five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in Manhattan, New York, on December 4. Thompson was attending his company’s annual investor meeting when he was killed.
Authorities said fingerprints recovered from a water bottle and a KIND snack bar at the scene matched Mangione’s prints.
In addition to allegedly having a gun with a silencer and fake IDs, authorities said Mangione also had a 262-word “manifesto” that decried the healthcare industry as “parasites.” Shortly after Mangione’s arrest, New York officials held a press coverage in which they hinted at the motive in Thompson’s murder. NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said Mangione, a data engineer with a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania, “has some ill will towards corporate America.”
The latest motion pertains to state firearm charges against Pennsylvania. In New York, he faces state charges of first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism, second-degree murder as an act of terrorism, and criminal possession of a weapon.
On the federal level, Mangione is charged in New York with murder through the use of a firearm, stalking, and a firearms offense. He potentially faces the death penalty if convicted. Mangione’s attorney, Karen Agnifilo, said federal prosecutors are still considering whether to pursue the death penalty against Mangione. She claimed this decision is being delayed by the discovery process.
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[Feature Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig]