Mangione to return to New York court for pretrial hearing in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione returns to New York state court on Monday for a pretrial hearing in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to one count of murder in the second degree; seven counts of various criminal possession of a weapon charges; and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, NBC News reported. He also pleaded not guilty to four federal charges.

The hearing starting Monday could last at least a week. One of Mangione’s attorneys, Marc Agnifilo, said he expects prosecutors to call as many as 28 witnesses.

The hearings are set to be divided into two sections, focusing on whether any evidence or statements were obtained illegally and should be excluded from trial.

In the first section, Judge Gregory Carro will hear testimony and arguments before deciding whether the police had a legal right to obtain physical evidence. Then, in the second section, he will review evidence before ruling on whether statements that Mangione made to law enforcement were coerced or obtained in violation of his rights.

Mangione’s attorneys have asked the judge to prevent prosecutors from introducing the contents of a red notebook that was allegedly found in his backpack when he was arrested on Dec. 9, 2024, after a five-day manhunt.

Another of his lawyers, Karen Agnifolo, said in a court filing that entering the notebook and other writings would “irreparably prejudice Mr. Mangione at his multiple upcoming trials.”

Mangione’s legal team has requested that witnesses be prohibited from testifying about the content of his writings or characterizing them in any way, including referring to any text as a “manifesto.”

Karen Agnifilo argued that prosecutors should only be allowed to use photographs of the notebook’s exterior and other writings that do not reveal their contents.

Officials said that Mangione was carrying a backpack containing a ghost gun, fake IDs, and a notebook and other writings regarding his grievances with the healthcare system.

Karen Agnifolo said in a statement that "law enforcement has methodically and purposefully trampled his [Mangione’s] constitutional rights by interrogating him without Miranda warnings in violation of the Fifth Amendment and illegally searching his property without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment.”