The pretrial hearing for Luigi Mangione concluded on Thursday with the judge saying that he will issue a ruling on the evidence presented in May. Here is a look at what transpired over the course of this nine-day hearing, as well as its implications for the case moving forward.

Pretrial Hearing for Luigi Mangione Wraps Up - What is Next?

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been in court for the last nine days for a pretrial hearing. The evidence suppression hearing against Mangione wrapped up on Thursday after the defense team indicated that it would not call witnesses. Defense attorney Karen Agnifilo rested shortly after prosecutors also finished their arguments.

The purpose of the hearing was to determine what evidence would be allowed against the 27-year-old when he officially goes to trial. He is accused of gunning down Thompson on a sidewalk in Manhattan in December 2024.

Mangione's defense team argued that law enforcement officials violated their client's constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure. The arguments stem from the fact that the officers did not have a warrant when they searched Mangione's backpack after he was apprehended at a McDonald's in Pennsylvania. The suspect was arrested five days after the shooting that prompted a massive manhunt.

New York Judge Gregory Carro told Mangione's defense team that they have until January 29 to make their final arguments about evidence in writing. Carro imposed a deadline of March 5 for the prosecution to provide its arguments. The defense will then have two weeks after the March 5 deadline to submit a reply.

The judge said that he plans to issue his decision about what evidence to exclude on May 18. This is also the time that he will officially set the trial date. Prosecutor Joel Seidemann wanted to move the trial forward, arguing that Thompson's 77-year-old mother wants to see the case reach its conclusion.

Details of the Suppression Hearing

A total of 17 witnesses testified in the suppression hearing. The testimony produced a myriad of new information relating to the case brought by the Manhattan district attorney's office. For example, high-quality surveillance video of the murder shows Thompson falling against the side of the Hilton hotel as the suspect calmly and slowly walked by the victim after shooting him on the sidewalk. The video showed bystanders pointing toward Mangione as he left the scene.

The suppression hearing also introduced footage from several body cameras worn when officers approached Mangione at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The hour-long encounter ended with Mangione being placed under arrest as his backpack was searched.

This body camera video footage also shows law enforcement collecting more evidence than had previously been indicated. The evidence seized included handwritten notes that prosecutors said were a "to-do" list. The notes also detailed possible escape routes and a reminder Mangione wrote to himself to pluck his eyebrows.

The new batch of evidence detailed that Mangione gave the officers a New Jersey identification card with the name "Mark Rosario." Legal experts believe that this piece of evidence could further implicate Mangione, as he was intentionally trying to conceal his identity. Prosecutors said that Mangione used the same ID when checking into a hostel in New York City.

Prosecutors also introduced several 911 calls during the hearing. Correction officers from the state of Pennsylvania were brought to the stand to testify that Mangione made statements about healthcare in the U.S. The officers made statements about what Mangione said about how he was being perceived in the media.

Corrections officer Matthew Henry testified during the trial that Mangione confessed to him that he had a backpack with a 3D-printed gun. Officer Tomas Rivers testified that Mangione talked about the differences in private and nationalized health care while he was in custody.

On the defense side of the aisle, attorneys detailed that Mangione was not read his rights until 19 minutes after being approached by the officers at McDonald's. The officers on scene at the time testified that they believed that Mangione was the suspect and that they were trying to confirm his identity without tipping him off. The responding law enforcement said that they believed that they were under a "high level of threat."

A nine-day suppression hearing is unusually long. However, legal experts say that the high-profile nature of the case means that the judge is being extra careful about getting it right.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to nine charges brought against him. These charges include second-degree murder.

Looking for stories that inform and engage? From breaking headlines to fresh perspectives, WaveNewsToday has more to explore. Ride the wave of what’s next.