When Luigi Mangione was apprehended, he was found with a black backpack that contained alarming items hinting that he may have been planning to stay on the run and potentially commit another crime, as per a recently revealed court paper.
Inside the backpack were a gun, a Glock magazine, 9mm bullets, a silencer, a knife, phone charger, wallet, chrome drill bits, duct tape, credit cards, a Maryland driver’s license, passport, Zip ties, headphones, a 32GB memory device, batteries, boxer shorts, a colorful hat, 8 pairs of socks, a light green jacket, a parka, grooming supplies, toothbrush, computer, and handwritten notes, revealed the document.
Referred to as an automatic discovery form, this document itemizes the discoveries made by investigators and what the prosecutors plan to share with the defense. The form also notes that investigators collected samples from various items, as well as from a pizza box and a lemonade bottle found at the Altoona Police Department.
Authorities also found receipts for items purchased at a CVS store and for registration at the hostel in New York City under the name Mark Rosario, which matches the name on a fake New Jersey driver’s license Mangione allegedly carried.
As they built their case against Mangione, prosecutors listened to police radio, 911 calls, a videotaped statement and watched both surveillance and body worn camera video, the document indicated. They also extracted data from a Motorola cell phone Mangione “dropped during flight,” Mangione’s iPhone and MacBook, an HP Laptop believed to be used by Mangione at an Altoona Best Buy and several memory devices.
Meanwhile, prosecutors said in a court filing on Wednesday that Mangione violated the “special treatment” he was afforded for his last court appearance when handwritten notes were secreted inside a pair of argyle socks he was permitted to wear.
Mangione, who has pleaded not guilty to the assassination-style killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was given special accommodations for his “fashion needs” when he was allowed to change out of his jail-issued clothing.
A court officer was given a bag of clothing by members of the defense team. Among the items was a new pair of argyle socks wrapped around cardboard. “Secreted in the cardboard were two personal heart-shaped notes, one addressed to an unknown person
named “Joan” and the other to Luigi stating in part “know there are thousands of people wishing you luck,” the Manhattan district attorney’s office said.
“In spite of this, the defendant was permitted to wear the argyle socks, which he first changed into and later changed out of because he felt that ‘they did not look good.’ Fortunately, the items smuggled were handwritten notes and not contraband capable
of harming the transporting officers.”
The sartorial detail was included in a filing that responded to defense accusations that prosecutors withheld grand jury witness testimony and copies of electronic devices seized upon Mangione’s arrest, in violation of discovery obligations.
Prosecutors conceded they have not provided the testimony of civilian witnesses before the grand jury because they “constituted a fraction of the testimony before the Grand Jury,” comprising 4 of the 23 witnesses called. Otherwise, the DA’s office said there have been ample discovery disclosures to the defense.
Prosecutors also took issue with Mangione’s request for a laptop while jailed.
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