Luigi Mangione set to return to court for pretrial hearing in killing of health care CEO

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last year, returns to New York state court Monday for the start of a complex pretrial hearing that could shape how the prosecution unfolds

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last year, returns to New York state court Monday for the start of a complex pretrial hearing that could shape how the prosecution unfolds.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to nine state counts, as well as four federal charges filed separately. The federal charges come with the possibility of the death penalty.

The hearing could last at least a week. Marc Agnifilo, one of Mangione’s attorneys, said he expects prosecutors to call as many as 28 witnesses — including some from Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was apprehended last December at a McDonald’s restaurant days after the shooting.

The proceedings are set to be divided into two sections. Both will focus on whether any evidence or statements were obtained illegally and should be excluded from trial.

In the first part, known as a Mapp hearing, Judge Gregory Carro will hear testimony and arguments before deciding whether the police had a legal right to obtain physical evidence.