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.
That was another thing his lawyers were arguing, actually - that since his arrest was over-publicized and spun in a particular light (for instance the widely circulated photo with him being escorted by an entire precinct worth of police) that they skewed public perception and created a presumption of guilt.
Really, though, this is important largely because of the jury is even the least bit sympathetic, points like this could go a long way towards getting them to acquit him, even if they believe he did it. “Well, I think he’s guilty, but the judge said we had to ignore all of this evidence, sooo…”
not just the precint, but MAYOR adams was in on the walk too.