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Some items in Luigi Mangione’s backpack won’t be used as evidence in trial, judge rules
TL;DR
A judge ruled that evidence from Luigi Mangione's backpack, including a magazine and cellphone, cannot be used in his trial. The judge deemed the search of the backpack at McDonald's an improper warrantless search.
Key points
- Judge ruled some evidence from Mangione's backpack is inadmissible
- Items excluded include a magazine, cellphone, and passport
- Search deemed an improper warrantless search
- Evidence from police station, including a gun, is admissible
- Mangione is on trial for the murder of Brian Thompson
Mentioned in this story
Luigi MangioneBrian Thompson
The judge overseeing Luigi Mangione’s Manhattan state court trial ruled Monday that some evidence gathered during his arrest would be barred from court.
“The evidence found during the search of the backpack at the McDonald’s must be suppressed, including the magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip,” Judge Gregory Carro said in his 18 May decision.
“The search of the backpack at the misconduct at the McDonald’s was an improper warrantless search,” Carro said in court while briefly summing up his ruling.
Carro ruled that evidence recovered at the police station was admissible, including the gun which authorities allege is the murder weapon.
The ruling was released moments before Mangione’s appeared in advance of his highly anticipated trial over the murder of healthcare executive Brian Thompson on a New York City street. He was escorted into court just before 10am, wearing a navy blue suit.
Carro, who is presiding over the case, had for months weighed whether to toss some prosecution evidence at Mangione’s 8 September state criminal trial. The defense has contended that police who arrested Mangione at an Altoona, Pennsylvania McDonald’s on 9 December 2024 did not apprise him of his constitutional rights.
Mangione’s defense has insisted that because he was not immediately apprised of his rights, statements he made to police officers should be barred from the trial. They also claim that evidence gathered during a police search of Mangione’s backpack at the fast food restaurant should be prohibited from court, arguing that authorities engaged in a “warrantless search”.
Authorities defended searching Mangione’s backpack without a warrant, citing exigent circumstances. Carro disagreed.
“Even if the backpack could be seen as within the defendant’s control or grabbable area, the People did not meet their burden of demonstrating exigency,” Carro wrote. “The People assert that the police were merely searching for explosives in an effort to protect themselves and the public, before removing the backpack to the station.
“However, this justification for searching the backpack does not hold up to scrutiny,” he said.
Q&A
What evidence was excluded from Luigi Mangione's trial?
The judge excluded items from Mangione's backpack, including a magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and computer chip.
Why was the evidence from the backpack ruled inadmissible?
The judge ruled the search of the backpack at McDonald's was an improper warrantless search.
What evidence will be allowed in Luigi Mangione's trial?
Evidence recovered at the police station, including a gun alleged to be the murder weapon, will be admissible.
