Prosecutors in Luigi Mangione’s state murder trial can use gun and notebook as evidence

NEW YORK CITY (NBC, KYMA) - The judge overseeing the state murder trial of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, ruled Monday that prosecutors can use as a gun and notebook found in his backpack as evidence in the trial.

Judge Gregory Carro rejected the defense team's argument that those items were seized illegally, delivering a partial victory to prosecutors.

The judge said prosecutors established that a search of the backpack at the police station was a valid inventory search, and therefore the items recovered at the station will not be suppressed.

However, Judge Carro did say prosecutors cannot admit other items found during an initial search of Mangione's backpack when he was arrested at a McDonald's restaurant in Pennsylvania, including a loaded magazine, a cellphone, a passport, a wallet and a computer chip.

Carro said the arresting officers conducted an "improper warrantless search" at the McDonald's, highlighting that it happened in view of the public and the restaurant's employees.

Mangione's arrest came five days after Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was shot dead outside a Manhattan hotel as he walked to an investors' conference.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to nine state felony charges, including second-degree murder and various counts related to his possession of a weapon.

The state charges come with the possibility of life in prison.

Mangione has also pleaded not guilty in a separate federal case charging him with two counts of stalking, each carrying a maximum sentence of life without parole.

The state trial in Manhattan Criminal Court is tentatively scheduled to begin in September, followed by a federal trial sometime later in the fall.