Overview
- Day 4 of the New York suppression hearing resumed Monday after a brief postponement for illness, with prosecutors calling Blair County First Assistant DA Nichole Smith and Altoona Officer Christy Wasser to testify.
- Over the weekend, prosecutors released evidence photos showing a USB necklace, a handwritten to-do list referencing Best Buy and a “survival kit,” a pocketknife with zip ties, a Greyhound ticket under the name Sam Dawson, and clothing tied to the arrest.
- Defense lawyers seek to exclude items taken from a backpack and pre-Miranda statements, arguing officers searched without a warrant and questioned Mangione for roughly 20 minutes before advising his rights.
- Prosecutors maintain the search was lawful under safety and incident-to-arrest exceptions, and an officer is set to testify she looked in the bag over a stated concern about a potential bomb; jurors may also see a 3D‑printed 9mm and a notebook if admitted.
- No ruling has been issued, the hearing governs only the state case, and a federal evidentiary session on overlapping issues is scheduled for January 9, with federal prosecutors indicating potential pursuit of capital charges.