A judge cleared prosecutors to use Luigi Mangione’s diary and gun, found in his backpack, for use at his murder trial, but blocked other pieces of evidence from being used.In the latest development in Mangione’s state murder trial over the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Judge Gregory Carro gave a split ruling. The ruling allowed prosecutors to use a gun and handwritten diary found in Mangione’s backpack, rejecting the defense’s argument that they were obtained illegally. However, Carro bought the defense’s argument when it came to a gun magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and computer chip.The key difference was that the gun and diary were uncovered at the police station, while the other items were taken from his backpack at a McDonald’s during his arrest in December 2024. Carro said that the search at the police station was in line with the Altoona Police Department’s protocol, while the search at the restaurant, done before obtaining a warrant, was not. He said that the police failed to properly justify their logic that the search was intended to uncover any dangerous weapons.
“However, while the body-worn camera footage showed that officers did express concern at the scene that the backpack might contain a bomb, there was no evidence that a gun was a concern or that it was the basis for the search,” Carro wrote.
