Luigi Mangione pulled up to court on Monday looking less like a man fighting for his freedom… The 27-year-old accused of gunning down healthcare boss Brian Thompson, ditched the prison jumpsuit for a grey suit jacket, and a crisp plaid flannel.
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But Mangione wasn’t there to make a fashion statement. His legal squad came ready to scrap. Their mission: convince the judge to toss out what prosecutors call some of the most damaging evidence in the case, his personal journal entries where he allegedly claimed the assassination was “justified.”
That’s not all they want gone. His team also wants the court to block everything cops pulled from his backpack after they grabbed him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. No warrant, they argue, no evidence. And we’re not talking a stray receipt and earbuds. Police say they found a whole 3D-printed gun, a silencer, and multiple electronic devices riding around with him.
Mangione, an Ivy League grad turned unlikely counterculture icon, still has a crowd behind him. Literally.
A mix of supporters, fans, and folks who see him as some sort of anarchist folk hero packed the area outside the courthouse, cheering him on like he was headlining a block party.
This pre-trial hearing is expected to stretch through the week, meaning Mangione might be sitting in that courtroom on December 4. The timing? Wild. All this is going down just days before the one-year mark of Thompson’s fatal shooting on a Manhattan street.
For now, the stakes remain sky-high. Mangione is staring down New York charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He’s pleaded not guilty.
If this is the opening act, the main event is about to get loud. Whew!