New Luigi Mangione photos reveal what was found in his backpack

Lawyers are fighting over Mangione's backpack, which arresting officers searched twice before getting a warrant.

Mangione, 28, hopes to convince a state-level judge in Manhattan to toss key evidence from this bag, most significantly a ghost gun and a handwritten "manifesto."

The bag was searched twice by arresting officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania — once at the McDonald's where he was taken into custody, and again during intake at the town's only police station.

Only afterward did police seek a search warrant. At the hearing, prosecutors are calling more than a half-dozen Altoona officers to testify that both searches were proper under Pennsylvania law.

Mangione's red notebook, aka "the manifesto".

Defense lawyers call it a "journal." To prosecutors, it's a "manifesto." Either way, this red, soft-covered notebook is prime evidence.

Prosecutors say an entry from October 22, 2024, describes an intent to "wack" the CEO of an insurance company at its annual "bean-counter conference". (Thompson, a 50-year-old father of two, was shot from behind six weeks later, as he approached a Midtown hotel, where he was to speak at UHC's annual investor meeting.)

Police bodycam footage screened at the hearing shows two officers pulling the red notebook and other items from Mangione's backpack after he is placed in handcuffs at the McDonald's. They were looking for anything dangerous, including a bomb, multiple cops testified.

This hybrid metal and 3D printed 9mm firearm was recovered from the backpack, too.

Prosecutors say this firearm is a ballistic match to the shell casings and discharged bullet recovered from the sidewalk where Thompson was shot just before sunrise on December 4, 2024.

It was found at the bottom of the backpack at the police station during Altoona cops' second search — an "inventory search," meant to record the personal property and evidence taken from a suspect.

The top portion of the gun is the metal receiver for a Glock 9mm, prosecutors say. The bottom portion, including the butt and trigger, was 3D printed. A silencer and an extra ammo clip were also recovered from the backpack.

Some of the contents seized offer a glimpse into Mangione's self-care aspirations while on the lam for five days.

This is a photo of Mangione's many toiletries and other incidentals collected from his backpack, including spare socks, fresh medical masks, electrical cords, protein bars, and hand sanitizer.

They are not evidence but offer an intimate view of his self-care routine. Included was a stick of sandalwood-and-shea-butter scented "sensitive skin" deodorant, an electric hair-and-beard clipper with multiple black plastic comb attachments — and a pair of white-tipped tweezers.

"Change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows," reads a to-do note dated the day after Thompson is shot

Several handwritten notes were also collected from the backpack — some in the form of "to-do" lists.

A checklist under the heading "12/5" — the day after Thompson's shooting — begins with a starred entry: "Buy black shoes. (White stripe too distinctive)". Mangione was indeed wearing new-looking black sneakers when he was arrested four days later.

The second entry reads, "change hat, shoes, pluck eyebrows."

A third entry begins "bus to Penn Station" and appears to include detailed travel directions.

Prosecutors say Mangione tried to throw arresting officers off the scent by claiming he was a "homeless" guy named "Mark."

The first two officers arriving at the McDonald's on December 9, 2024 — the fifth day of the nationwide manhunt — testified they had not believed Thompson's shooter would be in the restaurant.

The store manager had only reluctantly called 911 at her customers' insistence, so the call had been dispatched as "Priority: Low."

"What's your name?" one of the officers asked, approaching Mangione at the back of the restaurant. "Uh, Mark," Mangione answered, according to bodycam footage shown in court. He told them he was homeless.

He then handed over this New Jersey license — listing his name as "Mark Rosario."

Everything changed when Mangione's mask came off.

Mangione was then asked to pull down his blue-and-white paper medical mask, which Altoona patrolman Joseph Detwiler said made Mangioni stand out in the small Pennsylvania town.

"We don't wear masks," Detwiler told the jury. "We have antibodies."

When Mangione's mask was lowered, everything changed. "I knew it was him immediately," testified Detwiler. "I stayed calm."

Mangioni alerted police to this small knife.

Before they left the McDonald's, Mangione had alerted the police to a small, silver folding knife they'd failed to find in his pocket, along with something that looked like a metal stylus or screwdriver tool.

The knife was small enough to qualify as a legal carry, Detwiler's partner, Patrolman Tyler Frye, testified Thursday, adding that even so, "It could possibly hurt somebody — seriously."

"Hot meal" and "water bottles."

Back at the Altoona Police station, a more thorough search of Mangione's backpack, pockets, clothing, and other belongings was conducted. Officers found this folded scrap of lined paper.

Part doodled map, part to-do list, it is filled with dates and tasks, only some of which were accomplished. Under "12/8" — the day before the arrest — the words "Best buy" had been crossed off, as were mentions of a USB drive, "digital cam," and "light source."

"Hot meal" and "water bottles" were also crossed off.

Other items on the list — including "AAA bats" and "survival kit" — were never crossed off.

$7,800 in large bills.

At the Altoona police station, cops recovered $7,800 in large bills and currency from Thailand, Japan, and India, totaling $1,620, from Mangioni's backpack.

"There's a weapon," Patrolwoman Christy Wasser is heard saying soon after, in footage showing her continuing to search Mangione's backpack and lifting the gun from the very bottom of the bag.

Given the gun and the at-first-overlooked knife, the decision was made to strip-search Mangione.

This story was originally published on Friday, December 5. It has been updated to include images of new evidence released in the case.