Luigi Mangione Talked About Health Care System with Jail Officer — and Said He 'Wanted to Make a Statement': Testimony By Ben Brachfeld and Liam Quinn

Luigi Mangione allegedly had a conversation with a corrections officer about wanting to “make a statement,” according to testimony.

Thomas Rivers, a corrections officer at a facility in Huntingdon, Pa., where Mangione was held following his arrest last December, said he and the shooting suspect discussed health care while the latter was behind bars at his facility.

Rivers testified at the pre-trial hearing on Monday, Dec. 1, that he and Mangione talked about the difference between nationalized and private health care, though he did not recall if Mangione offered an opinion on the matter. 

“He said he wanted to make a statement to the public,” Rivers alleged, though he did not say what that statement involved.

Mangione, 27, arrived at Manhattan Supreme Court Monday wearing a crisp gray blazer and white and red shirt, and was allowed to remain unshackled as he sat with his lawyers for the crucial hearing — where he and his lawyers hope to have key evidence tossed ahead of his trial.

His lawyers hope Judge Gregory Carro will decide to exclude a 9mm handgun — the same caliber as used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — found in a backpack he was carrying when he was arrested at an Altoona, Pa. McDonald’s last year.

They also hope to exclude a notebook that allegedly contains writings highly critical of the health insurance industry and the makings of a plot to “wack” an insurance CEO.

Related Stories

Luigi Mangione Was Held in Plexiglass Cell to Avoid ‘Epstein-Style Situation’

Luigi Mangione Enters Courtroom in Shackles as Pivotal Hearing Begins

The defense claims these pieces of evidence were recovered in a warrantless search in violation of Mangione’s constitutional rights. They also contend allegedly incriminating statements made during an interview by police were made before he was properly read his Miranda rights.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.      

On Monday, prosecutors entered into evidence surveillance footage from the McDonald’s showing Mangione’s arrest as well as the audio of a 911 call made by the restaurant manager, who claimed customers recognized “the CEO shooter from New York” by his distinctive eyebrows.

The prosecution and defense are expected to call several witnesses to the stand over the course of the week.

Mangione is charged with second-degree murder in New York State, and also faces a concurrent federal murder prosecution that could land him the death penalty if convicted.