New York, New York - The judge overseeing Luigi Mangione's New York state trial for the murder of a healthcare executive decided Monday to admit crucial items of evidence, including a gun and a notebook.

The defense had sought to get Mangione's initial statements to the police thrown out on procedural grounds, along with physical evidence, including a handgun matching shell casings found at the crime scene.

The New York state judge did exclude certain items from an initial search carried out at the time of the defendant's arrest on December 9, 2024, including a handgun magazine, a phone, and a wallet.

But other items subsequently recovered from the defendant's backpack at a police station can be used by prosecutors, Judge Gregory Carro said.

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They include a 9mm pistol, a silencer, and a notebook in which Mangione denounces the US health insurance system.

Not all of Mangione's statements to police in the McDonald's restaurant where they arrested him in Pennsylvania were ruled inadmissible.

But others made spontaneously to prison guards were deemed admissible.

Mangione (28) is accused of gunning down Brian Thompson (50), CEO of UnitedHealthcare, on a Manhattan street in retaliation for private insurance failings.

He will be tried twice – in New York state court and in federal court.