By Aziza Shuler
Updated December 1, 2025 / 9:44 PM EST / CBS New York
Luigi Mangione, who is accused in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, appeared Monday in Manhattan for a series of pretrial suppression hearings to determine what evidence will be allowed at his trial.
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to nine state counts, including murder, and faces separate federal charges that carry possible capital punishment. Two state terrorism counts were dropped in September. His defense team says some statements and items should be excluded because of how they were obtained; prosecutors oppose those claims. The judge set multiple days of suppression hearings to resolve the disputes, which are expected to run several days this week. No trial date has been set.
Courtroom scene
Mangione arrived in a gray suit and patterned shirt and acknowledged court officers and his attorneys, but did not face the gallery. At defense counsel’s request, courtroom restraints were removed so he could take notes. The judge also allowed him to be transported from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in civilian clothes and to bring several changes of clothing and one pair of shoes without laces.
The packed courtroom included rows of journalists and public seating; some people wore shirts bearing Mangione’s name or image and the color green. The hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. but began about an hour later. Mangione smiled while talking with attorneys before proceedings and took notes during the session.
Evidence and early testimony
The first witness, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Public Information Sgt. Chris McLaughlin, reviewed surveillance images collected after the shooting. That material included what prosecutors said was a photo of Mangione at a Starbucks wearing a gray backpack and a face mask that did not fully cover his nose, pictures of him in an Upper West Side hostel without a mask, and a Facebook post that showed a man on a bicycle and another man holding what appeared to be a firearm. Defense lawyers objected to the relevance of some images as they were shown; Mangione was seen conferring with counsel and taking notes.
Prosecutors played video of the moment Thompson was shot outside a Midtown hotel, although they stopped the clip before footage of Thompson falling was shown.
The second witness, from the company that maintains the security cameras at the Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s where Mangione was arrested days after the shooting, testified as prosecutors presented surveillance from the restaurant. The silent footage depicts Mangione sitting and eating and later speaking with officers.
A Blair County 911 coordinator testified and a manager’s 911 call from the McDonald’s was played in court. In that call, the manager told dispatchers that other customers had expressed suspicion about a patron who some thought resembled the person police were seeking. Surveillance timestamps shown in court indicate Mangione sat in a side dining area near the restroom at about 9:01 a.m.; by 9:28 a.m. two officers had approached and he was seen standing with his hands up. Customers and employees moved around the area while officers engaged with him; at times he resumed eating while speaking with officers. More officers arrived around 9:40 a.m., and Mangione was searched and detained.
Corrections officer testimony
A corrections officer who works at State Correctional Institution Huntington, where Mangione was held after his arrest, said Mangione was placed there because of the facility’s heightened security and remained under close observation. The officer testified the facility wanted to avoid an “Epstein-style” incident, referring to Jeffrey Epstein’s death. During conversations at the facility, the officer said Mangione discussed travel in Thailand, referenced a fight he described as involving “lady boys,” and spoke about perspectives on suffering in Third World countries and how those experiences influence happiness. The officer also said Mangione compared media coverage of him to figures such as Ted Kaczynski and mentioned books by George Orwell, Aldous Huxley and Henry David Thoreau.
Defense challenges
Mangione’s attorneys urged the court to suppress statements he made to law enforcement on the grounds that officers did not provide Miranda warnings. They also argued that evidence seized during his arrest at the Altoona McDonald’s should be excluded because, they say, officers conducted a warrantless search of his backpack after he was handcuffed and surrounded. Items recovered from the backpack, according to prosecutors, included a firearm with a 3D‑printed receiver, ammunition and a red notebook that prosecutors say is a diary belonging to Mangione.
The defense asked the judge to bar admission of the notebook’s entries and other writings at these preliminary hearings, saying publicity about the documents could prejudice Mangione and potential jurors. They are also challenging identification testimony from witnesses who did not see the shooting but who identified him from photos or video.
The suppression hearings are expected to continue over the coming days as the court weighs the admissibility of the contested statements, surveillance, physical evidence and identification material.