Officer says he recognized the UnitedHealthcare murder suspect when he pulled down his mask

Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel a year ago, returned to court on Tuesday for the second day of a pretrial hearing in his New York state murder case.

As he did on Monday, Mangione entered the courtroom wearing a suit jacket and dress shirt. His handcuffs were removed before he took his seat at the defense table.

Mangione’s attorneys are seeking to block prosecutors from using evidence collected during Mangione’s arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., last December, arguing that officers failed to read him his Miranda rights and conducted a warrantless search of his backpack.

Among the items seized were a 3D-printed handgun, a silencer and a notebook with handwritten entries that prosecutors called a “manifesto.” In one entry, which was leaked to the media, he allegedly wrote that “parasites” who run health care companies “simply had it coming.”

“I finally feel confident about what I will do,” Mangione allegedly wrote in another. “The target is insurance. It checks every box.”

In court filings, Mangione’s lawyers argued that all the items recovered from the backpack should not be admissible at trial because police searched the bag without a warrant, saying there was no immediate threat to justify such a search.

“Mr. Mangione was already in handcuffs, the backpack was on a table over six feet away, and Mr. Mangione was separated from this table by a wall of armed officers,” his lawyers argued. They also asked the judge to suppress any statements Mangione made to law enforcement in Pennsylvania before his extradition to New York.

The pre-trial hearing could take up to a week or more, court officials say.

What witnesses have said in court

Prosecutors have called six witnesses, including an NYPD official who distributed images of the suspect to the media in the wake of Thompson’s slaying; a security camera supplier who installed the video surveillance system that captured footage of Mangione’s arrest at the Altoona McDonald’s; a 911 dispatcher; two corrections officers at the Pennsylvania jail where Mangione was held before his transfer to federal prison in Brooklyn; and an Altoona police officer.

On Monday, the prosecution played the audio from a 911 call made by the manager of the McDonald’s after a female customer believed she recognized Mangione, who was then the suspect in a nationwide manhunt.

The manager described Mangione as wearing a black jacket, tan beanie and surgical mask, but could not see his face.

“The only thing you can see are his eyebrows,” the manager told the 911 dispatcher. “I don’t know what to do here, guys.”

“I do have an officer on the way for you,” the dispatcher said. “Just keep an eye on him. If he leaves, let us know.”

Joseph Detwiler, the first police officer on scene at the McDonald’s, said during his testimony on Tuesday that he “didn’t think it was going to be him.” But as soon as Mangione removed his mask, Detwiler said, “I knew.”

“It’s him,” Detwiler told a supervisor by phone after confronting Mangione, according to the officer’s body-camera video shown in court. “I’m not kidding. He’s real nervous.”

Detwiler told the court that Mangione was eating a hash brown and said he was trying to keep Mangione calm by making small talk until other officers arrived.

Mangione initially gave police a fake New Jersey driver’s license. After police told him he was being investigated, Mangione disclosed his true identity, according to Detwiler’s testimony.

Detwiler acknowledged that roughly 20 minutes passed before officers told Mangione he had the right to remain silent.

Body camera footage played in court showed police rummaging through Mangione’s jacket; a second officer, Christy Wasser, is seen searching the suspect’s backpack. Detwiler testified that Mangione had already been placed under arrest when the backpack was searched, in accordance with Pennsylvania law.

“We search everyone that’s being arrested, their person and their bags,” Detwiler said.

On Monday, the judge heard testimony from the corrections officers, who were responsible for monitoring the high-profile murder suspect.

Tomas Rivers, the first corrections officer to testify, said he was told by jail officials that they did not want “an Epstein-style situation.” (Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found dead in jail in 2019 while awaiting a federal trial. Authorities ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.) Rivers also said he spoke to Mangione on several occasions, and that Mangione told him he was disappointed in being compared to Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber.

Another corrections officer, Matthew Henry, said that Mangione admitted to him that he was carrying a 3D-printed handgun and foreign currency when he was arrested.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo challenged the claim.

“This is a pretty big statement that he made to you,” Agnifilo said. “Did you write that down?”

“No,” Henry said.

The judge has yet to rule on what evidence will be admissible at trial.

What was Mangione charged with?

Mangione is facing both federal and state murder charges stemming from Thompson’s Dec. 4, 2024, killing.  The state murder charges carry the possibility of life in prison if convicted, while a conviction on the federal murder charges could result in the death penalty.

In September, Gregory Carro, the judge overseeing the New York state case, dismissed terrorism and first-degree murder charges but allowed other charges, including second-degree murder and multiple firearms offenses, to stand. He is facing additional state charges in Pennsylvania.

Federal charges:

New York state charges:

Pennsylvania state charges:

How authorities say the killing unfolded

Thompson was shot to death in the early morning of Dec. 4 outside a luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan as he was heading to a UnitedHealthcare investor conference.

Surveillance footage of the incident shows a hooded figure shooting Thompson in the back with a silenced pistol and recocking the gun to fire two more rounds before fleeing the scene.

According to police, shell casings with the words “deny,” “delay” and “depose” written on them were found at the scene, an apparent reference to a frequently criticized strategy that health insurance companies are alleged to use to avoid paying out customer claims.

“This was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said while announcing charges against Mangione.

Why is the case so controversial?

The killing triggered a nationwide debate over the state of the American health care system, with some saying the health care executive’s murder was justified. Supporters of Mangione launched crowdfunding campaigns to help support his legal defense. They have routinely shown up for his court appearances, holding signs and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “Free Luigi.”

A small group of demonstrators appeared outside the courthouse on Monday. They included a woman dressed as the Luigi character from the “Super Mario Bros.” video game, and a pink frog holding a banner that read “Luigi Before Parasites.”

“I don’t condone murder,” Shane Solger, who joined a demonstration outside one of Mangione’s earlier court appearances, told Yahoo. “But what he did and its focus on UnitedHealthcare has really brought to life how our health care system is broken.”