Accused CEO Killer Luigi Mangione Pumps Fist in Court

For a man accused of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione looked almost triumphant Monday morning. As he strode into the courtroom at New York State Supreme Court, the 27-year-old fist-pumped toward the photographers snapping his picture.

But the mood shifted fast. Minutes later, prosecutors rolled police bodycam footage showing Altoona, Pennsylvania Officer Christy Wasser rummaging through Mangione’s black backpack — and pulling out a fully loaded 9mm magazine wrapped in a pair of wet underwear.

Gasps rippled through the courtroom.

Mangione, dressed in a gray suit and blue shirt, kept his head down as the footage played. His attorneys scribbled notes, occasionally whispering, as Officer Wasser testified she feared the bag could contain a bomb.

“I didn’t want to be the one who brought an explosive into the station,” Wasser told the court. “We’d had a situation before with another officer. I wasn’t going to risk it.”

Her decision to open the bag — without a warrant — has become the center of a four-day suppression hearing. Defense attorneys claim the search was unconstitutional and that all evidence from it, including a 3D-printed gun and a handwritten “manifesto” railing against health insurers, should be thrown out.

Prosecutors insist the search was legal and possibly lifesaving. “She believed it might contain a bomb. That’s an exigent circumstance,” said Assistant District Attorney James Weiner, arguing the warrantless search was justified.

According to the footage, Wasser’s search revealed a strange mix of items:

• A knife, loaf of bread, and half-eaten sandwich
• A phone and passport sealed inside a “Faraday” bag designed to block signals
• SIM cards and a hand-drawn map of Pittsburgh
• A suppressor and red notebook described as Mangione’s “manifesto”

At one point, another officer is heard on video muttering, “It’s f—ing him, 100%.”

Fifteen minutes later, back at the station, Wasser unzipped another compartment and pulled out a 3D-printed 9mm handgun. “Oh my God,” she’s heard saying on the footage.

Prosecutors say Mangione murdered Thompson, 49, in December 2024 outside a Midtown McDonald’s in what they describe as a calculated act of revenge against the health insurance industry.

Investigators allege Mangione had been radicalized online and viewed Thompson as a “symbol” of corporate greed. His alleged manifesto — titled “The Cure for the Sickness” — outlines his anger at rising premiums and denial of coverage for chronic conditions.

“He blamed the system for his pain,” a law enforcement source told reporters earlier this year. “He turned that anger into violence.”

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges. If convicted federally, he could face the death penalty.

Throughout the hearings, Mangione’s courtroom demeanor has swung wildly — from grinning and chatting with his lawyers to scowling during witness testimony. A group of young female supporters, many wearing green, have attended daily.

One courtroom observer told reporters, “It’s eerie. He smiles when the cameras are on him, but the second that video rolled, he just… shut down.”

Mangione remains at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn awaiting trial, which is expected to begin early next year.

Source: [Bloomberg/Getty / Court Testimony, Dec. 8, 2025]