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Pretrial Hearing Overview
The hearing, held on Thursday, saw prosecutors call 17 witnesses while Mangione’s lawyers stayed silent. Judge Gregory Carro said he would not rule until May 18, a date that could change.
Mangione, 27, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. In the state case he faces life in prison; federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. His next federal hearing is set for Jan. 9.
Body-Camera Footage of Arrest
Body-camera footage shows Mangione eating breakfast at a McDonald’s, wearing a medical mask and a beanie pulled down over his forehead. The clip, released in court and to the public, includes the soundtrack “Jingle Bell Rock” and other Christmas tunes on the restaurant’s sound system.
Officers questioned him for almost 20 minutes before a supervisor informed him of his right to remain silent. Mangione first gave officers a fake name, Mark Rosario, and a phony New Jersey driver’s license. When the ID did not match, he gave his real name.
During the search of his backpack, Officer Christy Wasser testified she was checking for a bomb. She stopped the initial search after finding a loaded gun magazine wrapped in underwear. Officer Stephen Fox later said, “It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%,” as he held up the magazine.
911 Call and Public Alarm
The manager of the McDonald’s called a dispatcher, saying, “I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of that he looks like the CEO shooter from New York.” She first tried a non-emergency number, then 911, telling the dispatcher, “It’s not really an emergency.”
The manager searched online for a photo of the suspect for comparison. The 911 call was played in court, giving the public a clear picture of the incident.
Evidence Found in Backpack
Police found a gun that prosecutors say matches the one used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a notebook described as a “manifesto,” and items the officers called “goodies.”
The backpack contained food, electronics, a pocketknife, driver’s license, passport, credit cards, AirPods, a protein bar, travel toothpaste, flash drives, a hand-drawn map, to-do lists, and notes such as “keep momentum, FBI slower overnight,” “change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows,” and a plan to “check for red eyes” from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio or Cincinnati.
Officer Eric Heuston testified that he spoke on the phone with NYPD detectives shortly after the arrest and read portions of the notebook to them.
Statements and Miranda
Mangione told police early on he didn’t want to talk, but officers engaged him for almost 20 minutes before a supervisor told him of his right to remain silent. Prosecutors argue he could have believed he was free to leave when he gave the false name; Officer Detwiler said he was “not free to leave until I identified who he was.”
Prison Interaction
While in a special housing unit at SCI Huntingdon, Mangione made unprompted comments to correctional officers about a 3D-printed pistol and foreign currency. He also expressed a desire to make a public statement and talked about his travels to Asia, a gang fight in Thailand, and differences between private and nationalized health care.
Mangione arrives at court each morning from a federal jail in Brooklyn, wearing a gray or dark blue suit and button-down shirts, with his hands uncuffed.
Key Takeaways
- Body-camera footage captured the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the suspect linked to the UHC CEO shooting.
- A 911 call from a McDonald’s manager and evidence from Mangione’s backpack were key to the case.
- Mangione’s pretrial hearing revealed his use of a fake name, the discovery of a gun matching the murder weapon, and his statements in prison.
Mangione’s case continues to unfold as courts consider whether evidence gathered during the arrest and in custody can be used at trial.
