A New York judge dealt a major blow to Luigi Mangione on Monday, May 18, ruling that key evidence against the accused CEO killer, including a weapon and manifesto-style writings, can be used in his upcoming state trial, Us Weekly can confirm.
Judge Gregory Carro‘s decision came after nine days of pretrial hearings at the Manhattan Criminal Court in December 2025, during which Mangione’s defense team argued that items found in their client’s backpack — including a 3D-printed handgun equipped with a silencer and a notebook that prosecutors claimed had detailed his intention to “wack” (a misspelling of “whack”) a health insurance executive — should be inadmissible in court since police did not have a search warrant when they arrested Mangione.
Mangione’s lawyers had also fought to suppress statements that the 28-year-old made prior to being detained at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, in December 2024. Bodycam footage played in court confirmed the defense’s claim that officers asked Mangione questions for nearly 20 minutes before reading him his Miranda rights.
Carro ruled during Monday’s hearing, which Mangione attended in a navy suit, that the gun and notebook can be presented to a jury once the trial begins on September 8 because police discovered both items at their station. However, in a small win for Mangione, the judge found that other pieces of evidence, including a loaded gun magazine, passport, cellphone, wallet and computer chip, were inadmissible due to what he called an “improper, warrantless search” at McDonald’s.
The Ivy League graduate has pleaded not guilty to the 11 state charges against him, two of which Carro dropped in September 2025 due to insufficient evidence of terrorism. He faces life in prison in the New York case.
Mangione was also hit with four federal charges following his arrest. However, U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett dismissed two of the counts, including murder through the use of a firearm, in January, sparing Mangione of the death penalty.
At the time, Garnett also ruled that the gun and other evidence can be used in Mangione’s federal trial, which is set to begin in January 2027. He has entered a not guilty plea in that case as well.
Additionally, the Maryland native faces five charges in Pennsylvania, including carrying a firearm without a license and false identification to law enforcement. He did not enter a plea there before being extradited to New York for what his attorneys — and Mangione himself — have called “double jeopardy,” a legal phrase used to describe a person being prosecuted twice for the same offense.
Since being taken into custody, Mangione has amassed tens of thousands of supporters thanks to both his physical appearance and a wider frustration with the healthcare system in the United States. His legal defense fund has raised more than $1.5 million to date, and he gets hundreds of letters a day at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn.
“I am overwhelmed by — and grateful for — everyone who has written me to share their stories and express their support,” Mangione said in his only public statement in February 2025. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country and around the globe. While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write. I look forward to hearing more in the future.”
