Overview
- Luigi Mangione, 27, appeared in person for the opening days of preliminary proceedings in Manhattan that will determine what evidence can be presented at trial.
- The defense seeks to exclude the contents of Mangione’s backpack—a 9 mm handgun with a suppressor and a notebook described as a manifesto—as well as his early statements, arguing a warrantless search and missing rights advisements.
- Prosecutors argue officers acted under public-safety urgency during the Pennsylvania McDonald’s arrest and have lined up more than twenty witnesses this week to defend the seizure and statements.
- Several counts, including terrorism-related charges and first-degree murder, were dismissed in September, yet the state murder case proceeds alongside a federal prosecution where the death penalty has been requested.
- Public support for Mangione remains visible near the courthouse, with organized displays and a reported $1.4 million crowdfunding effort, as a full trial is expected in 2026.