A New York state judge threw alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione a bone at a Monday hearing, determining that key pieces of evidence are barred from the trial because of the way local police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, handled his arrest.Critically, however, Judge Gregory Carro ruled that items that will be permitted at trial include a handgun found in Mangione’s backpack and a red notebook containing alleged references to the brazen daylight murder of Brian Thompson, head of UnitedHealthcare.Thompson was shot dead in midtown Manhattan in December 2024, just before an annual investors’ conference, setting off a massive nationwide manhunt for his killer.Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges as he faces a potential life sentence. He appeared in court wearing a navy suit and pale blue shirt without a tie, and gazed in the direction of his attorneys as they conferred for several minutes with Carro.The judge briefly explained his reasoning, saying the Altoona officers conducted an “improper, warrantless search” of Mangione’s backpack at the McDonald’s where he was eating breakfast the day of his arrest.A customer at McDonald’s had allegedly recognized him from images of a suspect released by law enforcement and urged staff to call local police. Carro reasoned that items discovered in Mangione’s backpack after it had been taken to a police station and reopened were permitted to be shown to jurors.But “a magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip” are to be suppressed, along with statements Mangione initially made to Altoona officers, giving a false name.This story is developing. Please check back soon for more.Close