A federal judge ordered an Altoona police official to testify in court Friday as Luigi Mangione pressed to have evidence from a backpack search excluded from his murder case, a ruling that could shape whether prosecutors can use some of their most damaging and disputed material at trial.
A police leader from Altoona, Pennsylvania, appeared before U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett on January 23 after the court directed the department to send a representative to address how officers handled Mangione’s belongings following his arrest, according to courtroom reporting by Fox News. The testimony came as Mangione’s defense renewed arguments that a search of his backpack was conducted without a warrant and violated his constitutional rights.
The witness, Altoona Deputy Police Chief Nathan Snyder, reportedly testified in general terms about departmental policies governing searches and the inventorying of personal property when someone is taken into custody. Snyder was not present at the arrest and said he was out of town at the time, but told the court that the procedures he described were in effect when Mangione was arrested in December 2024.
Snyder said it is routine for officers to search an arrested person’s belongings and catalog their contents, adding that department policy requires police to keep track of all property in their custody. After roughly 45 minutes of testimony, Garnett adjourned the hearing without issuing a ruling on whether the backpack evidence will be suppressed.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to federal and state charges alleging he shot and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel where the executive was arriving for an investor conference. Prosecutors have said Mangione fled New York and was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona after customers and employees alerted police.
Authorities have claimed that when Mangione was arrested, officers found a backpack containing writings critical of the insurance industry, along with a firearm and other items prosecutors say link him to the killing. Defense lawyers argue the backpack was searched without a warrant and that the contents should therefore be excluded from trial.
Prosecutors dispute that claim, maintaining that police acted lawfully and that the evidence would inevitably have been discovered because the bag was in Mangione’s possession at the time of his arrest, according to court filings and prior reporting by The Dallas Express.
Yet, in the New York State version of this, the prosecution has faced numerous setbacks, including withdrawing various recorded statements made by Mangione without his knowledge after he had asked for an attorney and the police left the room, and the prosecution chose not to have the case’s lead detective testify, DX reported.
Other revelations have plagued the prosecution in the state version of the case. Mangione’s attorneys have reportedly alleged that Pennsylvania police turned off their body-cameras for 11-minutes during the transfer of Mangione’s belongings from the McDonald’s to the Altoona police station and that a gun was not found in bag until after this transfer. Officers involved have denied wrongdoing, according to earlier testimony reported by The Dallas Express.
Garnett ordered Altoona police to appear in person after hearing oral arguments on the suppression motion earlier this month, saying the witness did not have to be an officer directly involved in the arrest. She also directed the government to provide the court with a copy of the affidavit supporting the federal search warrant tied to the case.
Neither the state nor the federal judges have ruled on whether the evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack should be thrown out.
In addition to seeking suppression of physical evidence, Mangione’s lawyers are asking the federal court to dismiss the most serious charges against him, which could spare him from facing the death penalty. To pursue capital punishment, prosecutors must show that the killing occurred during the commission of an underlying “crime of violence.” Federal authorities allege that Mangione stalked Thompson across state lines before the shooting.
Following oral arguments, defense attorneys submitted a letter citing a recent appellate decision questioning whether certain offenses qualify as crimes of violence under federal law, a development they say undermines the government’s theory of jurisdiction.
Garnett did not indicate when she would rule on the suppression motion or the broader challenge to the federal charges. Mangione remains in federal custody in Brooklyn as both cases continue.
