Pretrial hearings continue for Luigi Mangione in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder case

NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione’s pre-trial hearing continues Tuesday as a judge decides what evidence will be allowed when the case goes to trial.

So far, prosecutors have presented bodycam footage and several items Mangione was carrying when he was arrested.

Day eight of Mangione’s marathon evidentiary hearings is expected to resume as the court determines what will be used against him when he goes on trial for allegedly gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Defense attorneys are preparing another attempt to exclude evidence.

That evidence will be presented and supported by a rotating lineup of witnesses on the stand as prosecutors state their case. On Friday, Sgt. Eric Heuston testified, he was the officer overseeing Mangione’s intake at Altoona Police Headquarters. Among the items listed in Heuston’s testimony: more than $7,000 in cash, a Maryland driver’s license and passport, writings, a red journal, and 3D-printed guns. Heuston said the inventory list was prepared for an NYPD search warrant.

Defense attorneys insist the Altoona search was illegal, dissecting the officers’ actions based on bodycam footage played in court. They are closely examining what transpired-from the time officers responded to the tip to the search of Mangione’s backpack and person.

The big question: Was the search of Mangione’s backpack legal? Following the hearings, the judge is expected to issue a written decision sometime in January about what evidence will be admissible when the case goes to trial.