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Luigi Mangione’s pretrial hearing is over. Here’s what we learned about his UnitedHealthcare murder case

2 1
19.12.2025

A 911 call about a man resembling “the CEO shooter.” Body-camera footage of police arresting Luigi Mangione and pulling items from his backpack, including a gun that prosecutors say matches the one used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and a notebook they have described as a “manifesto.” Notes about a “survival kit” and “intel checkin,” and testimony about alleged statements behind bars.

A three-week pretrial hearing on Mangione’s fight to exclude evidence from his New York murder case ended Thursday after revealing new details about his December 2024 arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, steps prosecutors say he took to elude authorities for five days, and what he may have revealed about himself after he was taken into custody.

Mangione watched from the defense table as Manhattan prosecutors called 17 witnesses, many of them police officers and other personnel involved in his arrest. Mangione’s lawyers called none. Judge Gregory Carro said he won’t rule until May 18, “but that could change.”

Mangione, 27, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. The pretrial hearing was in the state case, but his lawyers are trying to exclude evidence from both. Neither trial has been scheduled.

Here are some of the things we learned from the hearing:

The public got an extensive, even exhaustive view of how police in Altoona, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan, conducted Mangione’s arrest and searched his backpack after he was spotted eating breakfast at McDonald’s.

While there were quirky moments and asides — about holiday music, a hoagie and more — the point of the hearing was to help the judge assess whether Mangione voluntarily spoke to police and whether the officers were justified in searching his property before getting a warrant.

For the first time, body-worn camera video of Mangione’s arrest was played in court and some excerpts were made public. Taken from multiple officers’ cameras, the footage put ears and eyes on critical interactions that played out against the incongruously cheerful sound of “Jingle Bell Rock” and other Christmas tunes on the restaurant’s sound system.

Officers on the witness stand were quizzed about what they said and did as Mangione went........

© Fast Company