The man, the myth, the legend himself, Luigi Mangione, appeared in federal court last Friday for the first time since his arraignment in April 2025. At that time, Mangione had pleaded not guilty to the murder and stalking charges brought against him for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
Mangione’s lawyers are currently attempting to have two charges brought against him from the federal case thrown out in order to remove the death penalty from the equation in his upcoming trial. Another point of contention is whether or not the contents of Mangione’s backpack, which was in his possession at the time of his arrest at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, can be admitted as evidence in the federal case.
The officers who performed the search and inventory on the backpack did not obtain a search warrant first, forming the basis for his lawyers’ argument that the backpack and its contents should not be admissible as evidence in the trial. The judge presiding over Mangione’s New York state trial is expected to make a decision on the same point of contention on May 18.
The backpack contained a 3D-printed “ghost gun,” aka an untraceable, unregistered firearm that was allegedly used in the shooting. In Altoona, a bodycam had recorded one officer saying “we don’t need” a warrant to search the bag. According to the defense, the evidence produced from the bag search should be suppressed, since Mangione was questioned and searched before he was read his Miranda rights.
Mangione’s defense is also arguing that federal prosecutors prejudiced his case when he was perp-walked like a “scene out of a Marvel movie” when he was extradited to New York. Indeed, the sight of Mangione on the day of his extradition was quite cinematic, and the paparazzi ate up the tall, dark, and devilishly handsome alleged murderer as he was dramatically and slowly walked, bound in shackles, to a transport van. His lawyers characterized the perp walk as a “Hannibal Lecter-esque” media circus that influenced public perception of Mangione.
Federal judge Margaret Garnett has set the tentative date to begin the process of jury selection in Mangione’s federal trial for September 8. Opening statements could possibly begin in October, but no date has been set in stone yet.
Photo courtesy of social media
