Brian Thompson Murder: Police Say Underwear-Hidden Bullets Expose Luigi Mangione In High-Profile Murder

A pair of underwear concealing a loaded 9 mm magazine became the pivotal clue that convinced Pennsylvania police they had captured Luigi Mangione, the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, moments after his arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona on December 9, 2024. Body-worn camera footage played in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday captured Altoona officer Christy Wasser unwrapping the garment and holding up the magazine, prompting a fellow officer to exclaim, “It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%.” The discovery instantly linked Mangione to the brazen daylight assassination five days earlier outside a Midtown hotel, where Thompson, 50, was shot from behind by a masked gunman as he arrived for an investor conference.

Mangione, 27, appeared healthy and defiant at Monday’s pretrial hearing, pumping his fist for photographers while his defence team fought to suppress key evidence—including the handgun with silencer, the magazine, and a notebook allegedly containing anti-insurance industry writings and planning notes. Defence attorneys argued that Altoona police conducted an illegal warrantless search of Mangione’s backpack, first at the McDonald’s and later at the station. Prosecutors countered that officer safety concerns, standard inventory procedures, and a subsequently obtained warrant rendered the searches lawful. The hearing, delayed Friday due to Mangione’s reported illness, applies only to New York State murder charges; a parallel federal case carrying a possible death penalty is pursuing the same evidence.

Testimony revealed the chaotic yet methodical steps taken after a 911 tip led officers to the Altoona McDonald’s, 230 miles west of Manhattan. Mangione had been detained for presenting false identification—the same fake name used to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the killing. Officer Wasser told the court she searched the backpack inside the restaurant partly to rule out explosives, citing a prior incident in which a colleague unwittingly transported a bomb to headquarters. Despite the concern, the restaurant was never evacuated. After finding innocuous items such as a sandwich and passport, she paused the search upon discovering the magazine, resuming only after transporting the bag to the station—where the ghost gun and silencer were located in an unsearched pocket.

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The notebook, described by prosecutors as a “manifesto” expressing disdain for health insurers, reportedly contained to-do lists and getaway plans. Spent shell casings recovered at the crime scene were inscribed with the words “delay”, “deny”, and “depose”—a phrase critics use to accuse insurance companies of avoiding claims. Prosecutors say ballistics match the recovered firearm to the murder weapon. Justice Gregory Carro cautioned prosecutors against inflammatory language like “execution” and “manifesto” in front of future jurors but allowed the hearing to continue.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state first-degree murder and eleven federal counts, including murder with a firearm and stalking. The federal indictment makes him eligible for the death penalty, which New York State abolished in 2007. Monday’s testimony underscored the high-stakes legal battle over evidence seized during a routine fast-food arrest that ended a five-day manhunt and ignited national debate over healthcare costs, corporate power, and vigilante justice.

The suppression hearing is expected to conclude this week, after which Judge Carro will rule on the admissibility of the backpack evidence. Regardless of the outcome, the underwear-wrapped magazine—now preserved as exhibit material—has already secured its place as one of the most unusual and decisive pieces of evidence in a case that continues to grip the nation.

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