Luigi Mangione will NOT face death penalty if he's convicted

Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty if convicted over the murder of healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a judge has ruled. 

Judge Margaret Garnett ruled against prosecutors who were seeking the death penalty against the alleged assassin. 

In the judge's ruling on Friday, it was also decided that evidence recovered from Mangione's backpack during his arrest in December 2024 will be allowed to be seen by jurors. 

The evidence seized from his backpack included a handgun, loaded magazine, and an alleged manifesto - which Mangione's attorneys had argued should be barred from his trial because they say it was obtained illegally without a warrant. 

It comes a day after a Minnesota man, identified as Mark Anderson, 36, was charged with allegedly trying to break Mangione out of his New York jail by posing as an FBI agent in a brazen plot that was ultimately foiled. 

Anderson allegedly tried to approach an intake area inside the jail to get close to Mangione, and presented paperwork to jail staff claiming to show a judge ordered the inmate's release. 

The scheme reportedly fell apart when Bureau of Prisons staff asked to see Anderson's credentials, which led him to show his Minnesota driver's license and throw 'numerous documents' at the personnel.

Anderson then allegedly warned staff that he had weapons in his bag, and a search of his belongings found a barbeque fork and a tool resembling a pizza cutter, according to the criminal complaint against Anderson. 

The official start date of Mangione's high-profile trial has not yet been set, but Garnett said she expects jury selection to begin by September. 

Earlier this month, Mangione appeared to be playing to the cameras as he appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing, flashing a boyish grin as his flock of female admirers ogled from the gallery. 

The ruling on Friday to allow evidence from Mangione's arrest to be allowed into his trial is a hammer blow to the alleged killer. 

His attorneys attempted to convince the judge that the evidence seized during Mangione's arrest was tainted by a bungled investigation, which they said should make it inadmissible. 

They alleged that the chain of custody for the evidence found in his backpack was not appropriately followed, and claimed he was not read his Miranda Rights.

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Luigi Mangione jailbreak plot as 'superfan', 36, posing as FBI agent is caught trying to free him

Mangione allegedly shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan sidewalk in the early hours of December 4, 2024 before fleeing the scene on a bike.

He was arrested almost a week later in a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a small town over 300 miles away from the crime scene.

Police said that when he was arrested, they discovered a manifesto and a gun inside his backpack, alongside notes to himself to 'check reports for current situation' - a possible reference to news reports after Thompson's death made headlines.

Prosecutors say that the backpack was searched legally because Altoona police protocols require the immediate search of suspect's property at the time of their arrest for dangerous items, and said police later obtained a warrant for the evidence.

Officers later said they only found a loaded magazine in the bag at first, but in a later search at a police station they discovered the gun and a silencer.

An inventory search then found a notebook and other notes, including an alleged 'to do list' for Mangione to follow after the shooting.

Among the evidence shown at the pretrial hearing was a Philadelphia transit pass purchased at 1.06pm - a little more than six hours after the shooting - and a ticket for a Greyhound bus, booked under the name Sam Dawson, leaving Philadelphia at 6.30pm and arriving in SSSSat 11.55pm.

Among the notes presented to the hearing was one with a heading '12/5' and a starred entry that said: 'Buy black shoes (white stripes too distinctive)'.

Another, also written in to-do list style, suggested spending more than three hours away from surveillance cameras and using different modes of transportation to 'Break CAM continuity' and avoid tracking.

Below that, it said: 'Check reports for current situation' a possible reference to news reports about the search for Thompson's killer.

A note with the heading '12/8' lists a number of tasks, including an apparent trip to Best Buy to purchase a digital camera and accessories, 'hot meal + water bottles' and 'trash bag(s)'.

Under '12/9,' the day of Mangione's arrest, the note lists tasks including 'Sheetz,' an Altoona-based convenience store chain, 'masks' and 'AAA bats'. Mangione had a Sheetz hoagie in his backpack when he was arrested, along with a loaf of Italian bread from a local deli, police officers testified.

A note titled 'Future TO DO,' listed 'intel checkin' and 'survival kit'.