Key Evidence Ruled Inadmissible in Luigi Mangione Murder Case, Judge Rules

Luigi Mangione just got a major ruling in his state murder case, with a judge deciding Monday several pieces of evidence will not be used -- including an ammunition magazine -- but prosecutors still won on the major items found in his backpack.

The Monday ruling comes after Luigi’s attorneys argued cops illegally searched his backpack when he was arrested at a McDonald's back in December 2024 ... just days after Brian Thompson was gunned down in NYC.

The judge agreed the search at the McDonald’s was “unreasonable” and said there were no emergency circumstances to justify it ... meaning several of the items found during that search will now be inadmissible in the case.

The now-excluded items are an ammo magazine, a cellphone, his passport, wallet, and computer chip. All of those were recovered from his backpack while cops first confronted Mangione at the McDonald's in Pennsylvania.

However, there are several items cops recovered that will still be allowed as evidence -- the alleged murder weapon, a silencer, a USB drive and the red notebook ... which included his manifesto-like rant against the health insurance industry.

The difference between the items comes down to where and when police found them. They were all inside his backpack, but the items the judge allowed were found during an "inventory search" at the police station -- all the things pulled out while at McDonald's were not allowed.

Luigi’s lawyers were also trying to block statements he made to PA cops before he was extradited to New York, claiming investigators questioned him before reading his Miranda warning. The judge tossed out interactions where the officers asked Mangione about why he lied about his name, and if he had a fake ID.

In the New York state case, Luigi’s been charged with murder, criminal possession of a weapon and possession of a forged instrument tied to an alleged fake ID.

He was also hit with federal charges, including stalking and murder with a firearm ... though a judge later tossed the murder/firearm count, taking the death penalty off the table.