By Alyssa Lukpat

Luigi Mangione has been in a Manhattan court in recent days to ask a judge to bar certain evidence ahead of his state trial over the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson.

In New York state, the 27-year-old Ivy League graduate faces charges including second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Here are five things to know from Mangione's evidence hearing, which started on Dec. 1.

1. Backpack Evidence

Police seized Mangione's backpack -- containing a red notebook, a silencer and a firearm -- when they arrested him on Dec. 9, 2024, at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pa. His lawyers said police searched the backpack before they had a warrant so the items inside shouldn't be included as evidence. An Altoona police officer, Christy Wasser, told the court that the city police department didn't think it needed a search warrant.

Mangione also had a fake New Jersey ID, a Greyhound bus ticket and thousands of dollars in cash, prosecutors said. He was carrying handwritten notes, including a hand-drawn map of escape routes in Pittsburgh and a checklist of items, including a "survival kit," according to prosecutors. Next to "Bestbuy," the list mentioned a digital camera and USB drive. It also included sheets, batteries, water bottles, trash bags, masks and a "hot meal."

2. Miranda Rights

Mangione's lawyers are seeking to exclude statements from the trial that he made before police read him his Miranda rights. Authorities are required to tell suspects before interrogation that they have the right to remain silent and that anything they say can be used against them in court. When police confronted Mangione at McDonald's, an officer asked if he had been to New York recently before reading him his Miranda rights. Mangione's lawyers said the officer was trying to obtain an incriminating response.

3. The Hearing

Mangione, wearing gray suits, jotted information on a notepad and occasionally whispered with his attorneys. Prosecutors and the defense questioned a parade of witnesses, including the officers who arrested him. The defendant called in sick one day.

The judge overseeing the case, Justice Gregory Carro, directed prosecutors to release some of the evidence against Mangione, including videos , pictures of his possessions and a recording of a 911 call from McDonald's. Mangione's lawyers argued that releasing evidence would prejudice the public against him before his trials. Mangione also has cases in Pennsylvania and in federal court.

4. Telltale Eyebrows

On the day of Mangione's arrest, a manager of the McDonald's in Altoona called 911. "I have a customer here that some other customers were suspicious of, that he looks like the CEO shooter," the manager said, according to a recording of the call played in court. Distressed customers kept approaching her, she told the 911 operator.

She said the customer in question was almost completely covered, with a thick black hoodie, a blue medical mask and a tan beanie. But there was one unmistakable detail. "The only thing you can see is his eyebrows," she said.

5. 'Free Luigi'

A small group of fans crammed the back rows of a lower Manhattan courtroom. One fan wore a T-shirt saying "New Yorkers for Luigi." Some touched up their makeup during a lunch break before returning to the courtroom to see him again. Mangione has become a folk hero to his supporters. They have plastered his face on billboards, raised money for his legal defense, flown a banner proclaiming, "Free Healthcare. Free Luigi," and sent him thousands of letters in jail.

Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 09, 2025 09:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

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