A defense attorney for Luigi Mangione, the man charged with killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, insists a police search and arrest late last year were illegal.

Summary

The Pennsylvania attorney representing Luigi Mangione, charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, contends Mangione’s arrest in Altoona was unconstitutional.

Officers supposedly approached him without cause and failed to read his Miranda rights at a McDonald’s after a five-day manhunt.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to murder and related state and federal charges, including potential death penalty eligibility.

Mangione’s New York lawyer likewise cites constitutional violations during arrest, raising the possibility that key evidence could be suppressed.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.worldEnglish
    614·
    2 days ago

    The cops aren’t going to be able to explain how they found him and the “mystery tipster” who called the worker Luigi had a bounty isn’t going to hold up.

    They had a reason to suspect him, but that reason wasn’t obtained thru legal means, so they have to invent a plausible second reason and call it a parallel investigation if they want to keep any evidence gained since he was apprehended.

    • FauxLiving@lemmy.world
      112·
      2 days ago

      They had a reason to suspect him, but that reason wasn’t obtained thru legal means, so they have to invent a plausible second reason and call it a parallel investigation if they want to keep any evidence gained since he was apprehended.

      I think it is exactly this.

      The ‘Anonymous tip’ thing is also used when they have absolutely no other way to get illegally obtained (think, Snowden) evidence to the police.

      The story from the police is that a person saw the pictures on the news showing his chin and nose and somehow managed to recognize him and also decided to call the police. Alternatively, they have better video footage of his face and have access to McDonalds (and probably most corporation’s) video feeds to run live facial recognition then they called in a hit as ‘an anonymous tip’.

      We already know that law enforcement/intelligence can compel companies to share live access to their stored data. Snowden’s leaks showed that they could access, for counter-terrorism purposes, any gmail account through a web interface. There’s no reason to think that video camera footage (which is an absolute goldmine for intelligence purposes) would be excluded from these sweeping domestic spying powers.

      • atzanteol@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        1 day ago

        Alternatively, they have better video footage of his face and have access to McDonalds (and probably most corporation’s) video feeds to run live facial recognition then they called in a hit as ‘an anonymous tip’.

        You think the cops are running live facial recognition from live CCTV feeds from private companies?