Moments after Luigi Mangione was handcuffed at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s on December 9, 2024, police searching his backpack discovered a loaded gun magazine hidden inside a pair of underwear. The discovery became a key piece of evidence connecting Mangione to the December 4 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
Body-worn camera footage captured an officer exclaiming, “It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%,” as Christy Wasser, a 19-year veteran of the police department, held up the magazine. Wasser testified during a pretrial hearing where Mangione’s lawyers sought to block prosecutors from using the magazine, a 9 mm handgun, a notebook, and other items found in his bag.
Mangione’s defense argued the evidence should be excluded because police lacked a search warrant and had no justification for a warrantless search. Prosecutors countered that the search was legal and a warrant was obtained later.
Wasser, testifying in uniform, said police protocol requires checking suspects’ property for dangerous items, though the McDonald’s was not cleared of customers or employees during the search.
Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges and invoked his right to remain silent. The hearing applies to the state case, while his lawyers are seeking to exclude the evidence from the federal case, where prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty.
Authorities said the handgun matched the weapon used to kill Thompson, and writings in the notebook suggested plans targeting a CEO and animosity toward health insurers. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson in Manhattan, with words like “delay,” “deny,” and “depose” written on ammunition, echoing insurer language.
Mangione was arrested after a 911 call reported a McDonald’s customer resembling the suspect. Initially charged with forgery and false identification for presenting a fake driver’s license, police discovered that the same alias had been used by the alleged gunman days before in Manhattan.
During the backpack search, Wasser first found everyday items, including a hoagie, bread, and a small bag with a passport, cellphone, and computer chip. The gray underwear concealing the magazine was discovered shortly after. Later at the police station, she found a 9 mm handgun, silencer, a notebook, and other papers that appeared to outline possible plans.
A judge later signed a search warrant for the bag, legally allowing police to transfer the evidence to New York investigators.
Prosecutors described Thompson’s killing as an “execution” and referred to the notebook as a “manifesto,” but the judge clarified such language would not be used in the trial itself.
Mangione remains in custody as the court continues to review the admissibility of the evidence.
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