Luigi Mangione appeared in court for his fourth evidence suppression hearing. Cameras have been all over the courtroom these past few days, and one caught Mangione making a fist at the December 8, 2025, hearing. Afterward, he looked down at the bodycam footage showing officers finding a loaded magazine wrapped in wet underwear in his backpack.
Reactions in Court
Mangione, the 27-year-old healthcare martyr, attended another hearing ahead of his trial for the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, last December in Manhattan. He entered fashionably wearing a grey suit and blue shirt, a far cry from his original orange jumpsuit he was forced to wear. He took a seat next to his lawyer, and during their conversation, he made a fist.
The Altoona, Pennsylvania, Police Officer who conducted the initial search of Mangione’s backpack, Christy Wasser, took the stand on Monday. People observed that his demeanor during her testimony about the body camera footage being played was different than on the other three days. He continued to look down at court papers on the table, or write notes, and talk with his lawyers. Before Monday, he would watch the bodycam footage of his arrest intently.
Bodycam Footage of Search
Wasser’s testimony could pivot the suppression hearings. Evidence in question included a 3D-printed 9mm pistol and a “manifesto” against health insurance companies, which were all found during the search of Mangione’s backpack.
His attorneys want to suppress those items, claiming they were recovered illegally through a warrantless search. If they are successful in their legal battle, this would be a crucial win for Mangione and his defense. It would make the prosecution’s position harder to establish the alleged murder weapon or a motive for the killing.
In the bodycam footage, Wasser is seen rifling through Mangione’s black backpack with gloves. The suspect is standing in cuffs nearby, and Wasser grabs a knife, a sandwich, a loaf of bread, a mobile phone, a passport sealed in a “Faraday bag”, and a fully loaded magazine wrapped in wet underwear. Wasser’s face in the footage shows her smiling as she holds the magazine, and another officer comments, “it’s f—ing him, 100%.“
After that interaction, officers are seen debating whether they needed a warrant to continue their search, and most conclude they did not. On the stand, Wasser admitted she was concerned the bag contained a bomb and did not want to mistakenly bring one into the police station like the last Altoona officer who did.
Around 15 minutes later at the police station, Wasser set the bag down on a chair and opened the side pocket, which contained a handgun. She continues searching and discovers a suppressor underneath the underwear and the red notebook they later claim contained Mangione’s manifesto.
State and Federal Charges
Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including state and federal murder. There is quite a bit of evidence stacked against him, so these suppression hearings are crucial to his case. Officers also found SIM cards and a hand-drawn map of Pittsburgh inside the bag. The map contained a checklist of red-eyes to Columbus or Cincinnati, and the need to avoid security cameras. This leads them to believe he was attempting to escape from something incriminating.
Mangione is currently being held pretrial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. If he is convicted of the federal murder charges, he could face the death penalty. His supporters believe that this would be cruel and unusual punishment. Several young women have watched the security and bodycam footage and still stand by him, believing he is innocent. Even some who are not advocates of his believe he was unconstitutionally detained. Whether he did it or not, he has been treated as guilty since the day he was cornered inside the McDonald’s.
