STORY: Luigi Mangione was back in court again on Monday (December 8) as his pretrial hearing, ahead of his trial on charges of murdering UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson, continues before Justice Gregory Carro.

Mangione, 27, was arrested in December 2024 and charged with fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a sidewalk in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione became a folk hero to some critics of steep U.S. healthcare costs. Public officials condemned the assassination.

Mangione's statements to law enforcement and the contents of his backpack could be key pieces of evidence at his trial, but his lawyers argue they should be inadmissible because he was illegally searched and not given notice of his legal rights.

Prosecutors deny claims that Mangione was illegally searched and questioned.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges and is expected to face trial next year. He has pleaded not guilty in a separate federal case where prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.

Prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have opposed Mangione’s requests to suppress the evidence.

Mangione could face life in prison if convicted of murder in the second degree, which is defined as an intentional killing. He also faces seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of possessing a false identification.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

1. VARIOUS PHOTOS (3) OF LUIGI MANGIONE IN COURT WITH ATTORNEY KAREN FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO (RIGHT)

2. PHOTO OF MANGIONE WITH ATTORNEY JACOB KAPLAN (LEFT)

3. VARIOUS PHOTOS (2) OF MANGIONE AT TABLE WITH KAPLAN (LEFT), FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO (RIGHT), AND SECURITY OFFICERS (STANDING)

4. PHOTO OF OVERHEAD VIEW OF MANGIONE AND KAPLAN (LEFT)

5. PHOTO OF MANGIONE AND FRIEDMAN AGNIFILO AT TABLE BEHIND MONITOR

6. PHOTO OF MANGIONE (CENTER), KAPLAN (LEFT), FRIEDMAN AGNFILO (RIGHT), SECURITY OFFICERS STANDING, PEOPLE SITTING IN COURTROOM

7. PHOTO OF OVERHEAD VIEW OF MANGIONE (CENTER), KAPLAN (LEFT), FRIEDMAN AGNFILO (RIGHT) AT TABLE