Legal expert says that if New York City judge decides against admitting these items, it could all but gut state case

As Luigi Mangione’s highly anticipated federal trial could start by year’s end, his defense team is working hard to prevent jurors from seeing some of the most incriminating evidence against him, including an alleged murder weapon.

Mangione is charged with the murder of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson. Thompson’s 2024 killing on a midtown Manhattan street spurred an expansive manhunt for the assailant, but also fanned the flames of public outcry over the US health insurance industry’s profit-driven practices.