Luigi Mangione Seizes Small Win At Pretrial Hearing - Above the Law

"A New York state judge threw alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione a bone at a Monday hearing, determining that certain pieces of evidence are barred from the trial because of the way local police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, handled his arrest....The judge briefly explained his reasoning in court, saying the Altoona officers conducted an "improper, warrantless search" of Mangione's backpack at the McDonald's where he was eating breakfast the day of his arrest."

""Therefore, the evidence found during the search of the backpack at the McDonald's must be suppressed, including the [loaded] magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet and computer chip," Carro said in his written ruling."

"Despite the article's language like "threw a bone" and "handled his arrest," this is a pretty big deal. Let's not forget that the reason the evidence won't be admitted is because the police were outed for doing a tyranny on a guy - "handled his arrest" is a cute way of saying violated his constitutionally protected rights."

"We lose sight of the importance of liberty if we skirt past the warrantless search and frame the narrative as some judge taking pity on a guy. The actual story here is that due process, which is always important, must be respected and the powers of the state must be limited even and especially in a high-profile criminal case where the accused was paraded around the Athens, Istanbul, and Kyiv of America like a damned comic book villain before trial:"

A New York state judge ruled that certain evidence would not be admitted at trial. The ruling barred items found in Luigi Mangione’s backpack after Altoona, Pennsylvania, police conducted an improper, warrantless search at a McDonald’s where he was eating breakfast on the day of his arrest. The suppressed evidence included a loaded magazine, cellphone, passport, wallet, and a computer chip. The decision emphasized that due process must be respected and that state power must be limited, even in a high-profile criminal case. The case also involved public handling of the accused before trial, including being escorted in New York City after arrival by helicopter.

Read at Above the Law