Around a year after the killing of the CEO of a health insurer in New York, the defendant wants to have some evidence excluded before the actual trial.
12/02/2025, 04:2012/02/2025, 04:20
At preliminary hearings, the lawyers of the 27-year-old alleged murderer Luigi Mangione want, among other things, to ensure that a weapon found in a backpack when he was arrested and some of his statements cannot be used as evidence in court. This is reported unanimously by several US media outlets.
Luigi Mangione in front of the court in New York.Image: keystone
There was no search warrant for the backpack and Mangione made the statements before the investigators explained his right to remain silent, explains CBS News, among others, the defense’s argument.
The accused, his lawyers and prosecutors appeared in a criminal court in New York on Monday to discuss the possible evidence. According to court documents, the prosecution has already requested not to follow the defense’s submissions and asked for the evidence to be admitted. The preliminary negotiations for the actual trial are scheduled to last several days.
There are several proceedings underway against the alleged perpetrator
The defense had already achieved its first victory in September when the court dropped one count of terrorism and one count of premeditated murder. The court announced that another, less serious charge of murder would be retained.
The preliminary discussions relate to an indictment by the state of New York against Mangione. He also faces federal and Pennsylvania charges including murder, stalking and weapons-related offenses. US Attorney General Pam Bondi had called for the death penalty for him, and his defense criticized this interference as “blatantly political.” Mangione had previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The crime and the search for clues caused a stir around the world
He is accused of deliberately shooting the head of the billion-dollar US health insurer United Healthcare, Brian Thompson, on a street in the New York borough of Manhattan on December 4, 2024. The 50-year-old was shot at close range near Times Square and died of his injuries in a hospital.
The crime, which was filmed by surveillance cameras, and the public manhunt made headlines around the world. The shooter initially fled on a bicycle and then disappeared. Five days later, Mangione was arrested as a suspect at a fast food restaurant in the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania. After the crime, there was an unusually large number of expressions of sympathy for the alleged shooter in the USA. Millions of Americans despair of their country’s expensive healthcare system. (sda/dpa)