Luigi Mangione court hearing delayed due to illness

A fourth day of testimony in Luigi Mangione’s pretrial hearing was postponed on Friday after the murder suspect reported feeling unwell, prompting Judge Gregory Carro to adjourn proceedings.

]The hearing, which concerns Mangione’s bid to suppress evidence in his New York state murder case, is expected to resume on Monday. Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges, is fighting to exclude a gun, a notebook and other items police say were found in his backpack during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on 9 December 2024 — five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead in Manhattan.

His lawyers are also seeking to throw out statements he made to police. Prosecutors argue the evidence shows the 9mm handgun matches the weapon used in the killing, that the notebook contains writings outlining grievances against health insurers and fantasies about killing a CEO, and that Mangione gave police the same alias used by the suspected gunman at a New York hostel before the shooting.

Judge Carro announced the delay shortly before testimony was due to continue. “Apparently the defendant is ill today,” he said. Mangione’s lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, confirmed the issue.

Thompson, 50, was shot from behind on his way to an investor conference. He had led UnitedHealthcare since 2021 and spent two decades with parent company UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Manhattan prosecutors have not yet detailed their argument for admitting the disputed evidence. Federal prosecutors have maintained that searching Mangione’s backpack was necessary to ensure it contained no dangerous items and that his statements were voluntary and made prior to formal arrest.

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