Luigi Mangione smiles for cameras in court as defense claims police violated his rights

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione smiled for the cameras arsenic helium returned to tribunal Tuesday for hearings implicit his defence team's assertion that Pennsylvania constabulary violated his law rights during and aft his apprehension astatine an Altoona McDonald's aft the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Altoona Police Officer George Featherstone took the basal archetypal Tuesday. He testified that helium works arsenic an grounds custodian, and his occupation is to log caller grounds and assistance oversee the unafraid grounds room.

Thompson, 50, was a begetter of 2 from Minnesota visiting New York City for a shareholder league successful midtown Manhattan erstwhile a gunman approached him from down and changeable him connected a sidewalk extracurricular the big hotel.

LUIGI MANGIONE RAISED ‘RED FLAGS’ IN MCDONALD’S CONFRONTATION WITH POLICE, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT SAYS

Luigi Mangione appears successful Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, successful New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)

Mangione's lawyers are asking the justice to suppress grounds taken from his backpack aft his apprehension and statements helium made during the McDonald's incidental and to jailhouse guards successful the days that followed.

Luigi Mangione, charged with the execution of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, appears successful State Supreme Court successful Manhattan during an grounds suppression proceeding successful his lawsuit Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.  (Seth Wenig, Pool via AP)

While they raised Fourth and Fifth Amendment concerns, prosecutors person dismissed the claims, arguing that constabulary acted lawfully and appropriately, that the warrantless hunt of his container aft his apprehension was regular and ineligible and that the lone applicable non-Mirandized connection helium made was to allegedly springiness officers a fake sanction erstwhile helium showed them a phony ID.

911 CALL FOR LUIGI MANGIONE'S ARREST IN MCDONALD'S RELEASE: ‘HE LOOKS LIKE THE CEO SHOOTER’

Luigi Mangione appears successful Manhattan Criminal Court, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, successful New York.  (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP)

Officers are allowed to inquire someone's sanction without speechmaking a Miranda warning, ineligible experts say. And a hunt of his backpack would typically beryllium ineligible without a hunt warrant aft his arrest.

Featherstone testified that helium could not deliberation of an lawsuit wherever idiosyncratic was brought to the precinct and an point similar a backpack wasn’t searched. When a container oregon a idiosyncratic is searched, each country is searched.

Luigi Mangione allegedly killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (AP Photo/UnitedHealth Group via AP)

The section would not merchandise contraband backmost to someone, helium added.

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Luigi Mangione, charged with the execution of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, appears successful State Supreme Court successful Manhattan during an grounds suppression proceeding successful his lawsuit Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Curtis Means for Daily Mail)

The defense, however, raised further concerns astir grounds postulation during cross-examination. Multiple bags were handed implicit to the NYPD, the pb investigative bureau connected Thompson's murder, without times written connected them.

Mangione faces up to beingness successful situation if convicted connected a second-degree execution complaint successful New York. He besides faces national charges that transportation the imaginable decease punishment and lesser charges successful Pennsylvania.