(File Photo: Source for Photo: Luigi Mangione appears in Manhattan Criminal Court for an evidence hearing, Thursday , Dec. 18, 2025, in New York. (Shannon Stapleton/Pool Photo via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione is due in federal court Friday for a pivotal hearing in his fight to bar the government from seeking the death penalty against him in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Mangione’s lawyers contend that authorities prejudiced his case by turning his December 2024 arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed even before he was formally indicted.

If that doesn’t work, they argue, the charge that has enabled the government to seek the death penalty — murder by firearm — should be thrown out because it is legally flawed.

Federal prosecutors say Mangione’s lawyers are wrong, countering that the murder charge is legally sufficient and that “pretrial publicity, even when intense” is hardly a constitutional crisis. Any concerns about public perceptions can be alleviated by carefully questioning prospective jurors about their knowledge of the case, prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to federal and state murder charges, which carry the possibility of life in prison.

Friday’s hearing, Mangione’s first trip to Manhattan federal court since his April 25 arraignment, is also expected to cover the defense’s bid to exclude certain evidence. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett has said she also plans to set a trial date.

A cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry, Mangione’s court appearances have draw dozens of supporters, some of whom wear green clothing or carry signs expressing solidarity with him.

Mangione’s lawyers have asked the judge to bar the government from using certain items found in a backpack during his arrest, arguing that the search was illegal because police had not yet obtained a warrant.

Those items include a gun that police said matched the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which he purportedly described his intent to “wack” a health insurance executive.

One big question is whether Garnett will need to hold a separate hearing on the evidence issue like one last month that took three weeks in Mangione’s parallel state murder case.

Mangione’s lawyers want one. Prosecutors don’t. They contend police were justified in searching the backpack to make sure there were no dangerous items and that the gun, notebook and other evidence would have eventually been found anyway.

Thompson, 50, was killed Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione, 27, the Ivy League-educated scion of a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.

He’s already had success paring down his state case. In September, a judge threw out state terrorism charges against him.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last year that she was directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty, declaring that capital punishment was warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”

Mangione’s lawyers argue that Bondi’s announcement, which she followed with Instagram posts and a TV appearance, showed the decision was “based on politics, not merit.” Her remarks tainted the grand jury process that resulted in his indictment a few weeks later, they said.

Bondi’s statements and other official actions, including a choreographed perp walk in which armed officers led Mangione from a Manhattan pier, “have violated Mr. Mangione’s constitutional and statutory rights and have fatally prejudiced this death penalty case,” his lawyers said.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors pushed back on what they said were the defense’s “meritless” and “misleading” claims that Bondi’s decision was tainted by her past work as a lobbyist for a firm whose clients include UnitedHealthcare’s parent company.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: This undated photo released by the Delaware County District Attorneys’ Office shows Jonathan Gerlach. (Delaware County District Attorneys’ Office via AP)

(AP) Bones and skulls visible in the back seat of a car near an abandoned cemetery on Philadelphia’s outskirts led police to a basement filled with body parts, which authorities say were hoarded by a man now accused of stealing about 100 sets of human remains.

Officers say a Tuesday night arrest culminated a monthslong investigation into break-ins at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where at least 26 mausoleums and vaults had been forced open since early November.

Investigators later searched the Ephrata home and storage unit of Jonathan Christ Gerlach, 34, and reported finding more than 100 human skulls, long bones, mummified hands and feet, two decomposing torsos and other skeletal items.

“They were in various states. Some of them were hanging, as it were. Some of them were pieced together, some were just skulls on a shelf,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said.

Most were in the basement, authorities said, and they also recovered jewelry believed to be linked to the graves. In one case, a pacemaker was still attached.

Police say Gerlach targeted mausoleums and underground vaults at the 1855 cemetery. It’s considered the country’s largest abandoned burial ground, according to Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery, which helps maintain the 160-acre landmark in Yeadon that’s home to an estimated 150,000 grave sites.

Police had been looking into the string of burglaries when an investigator checked Gerlach’s vehicle plates and found he had been near Yeadon repeatedly during the period when the burglaries occurred. Police say the break-ins centered on sealed vaults and mausoleums containing older burials, which had been smashed open or had stonework damaged to reach the remains inside.

He was arrested as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar, police said, and a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls and other bones.

Gerlach told investigators he took about 30 sets of human remains and showed them the graves he stole from, police said.

“Given the enormity of what we are looking at and the sheer, utter lack of reasonable explanation, it’s difficult to say right now, at this juncture, exactly what took place. We’re trying to figure it out,” Rouse told reporters.

Gerlach was charged with 100 counts each of abuse of a corpse and receiving stolen property, along with multiple counts of desecrating a public monument, desecrating a venerated object, desecrating a historic burial place, burglary, trespassing and theft.

He is jailed on $1 million bond. No lawyer was listed in court records. A message seeking comment was texted to a cellphone linked to him.

(File Photo of the Beaver County Jail)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Aliquippa, PA) An Aliquippa man is now in jail over three years after police say he and two others robbed an Ambridge bar at gunpoint. According to police, the three stole money from the skill game machines at that bar, which is about $13,000 in cash. Surveillance cameras captured the incident that took place in October of 2022, and the trio also took $3,000 in other lottery proceeds as well as $1,600 from the bar. Two of the suspects were arrested and convicted not long after the incident occurred, but the third man, Kenyatta Thomas was not. Police confirm that they were able to match DNA from a surgical glove found on scene to Thomas, who is in the Beaver County Jail with no chance at a bail for him. Thomas is set to be back in court on January 20th, 2026, he faces a number of felony charges and is considered a flight risk. 

(Photo Provided with Release)

Fourth Chief Executive in 126-Year History Leads Expansion and Innovation
Across the Nonprofit’s Diversified Operations

GIBSONIA, PA — St. Barnabas Health System is pleased to announce the
appointment of Douglas W. Day as its new President and Chief Executive
Officer. Effective January 1, 2026, Mr. Day becomes just the fourth individual to
lead St. Barnabas Health System since its founding in 1900, marking the next
chapter in one of western Pennsylvania’s most respected retirement living,
healthcare and hospitality organizations.
A dedicated member of the St. Barnabas leadership for more than 40 years, Mr.
Day most recently served as Senior Vice President, a role he has held since
2003.
Throughout his tenure, Mr. Day has been a driving force in advancing the
organization’s growth and diversification. He remains instrumental in the expansion
of St. Barnabas’ retirement communities and launched its hospitality division,
which now includes two premier golf resorts. He also provides strategic oversight
for land development initiatives and corporate information technology. Earlier
at St. Barnabas, Mr. Day’s responsibilities grew to include the multi-specialty
outpatient medical center and Human Resources following his start in
retirement admissions.
As President and CEO, Mr. Day, together with Senior Vice President J.D. Turco
and a highly experienced and long-tenured staff – an uncommon strength in
today’s business environment – will oversee a broad portfolio encompassing
retirement, clinical services, new construction, hospitality, golf resorts, charity care, retail enterprises, and broadcasting. Each of these areas represents a vital element of the system’s integrated mission.
Mr. Day succeeds former president William V. Day, who has served St. Barnabas
with distinction for 58 years. Mr. William Day will continue his involvement with the
organization and was recently named Chairman Emeritus by the Board of
Trustees in recognition of his extraordinary leadership and lasting legacy.
“The transition from Day to Day is a seamless one,” says Daniel S. Henderson,
Chairman of the St. Barnabas Health System Board of Trustees. “Together, the
Days represent nearly a century of combined leadership that has built St.
Barnabas into a financially sound, forward-thinking provider of retirement living,
healthcare, and charitable services.”
St. Barnabas Health System is one of Pennsylvania’s largest and most diversified
nonprofit enterprises. The public-benefit nonprofit parent corporation was founded
in 1900 by humanitarian Gouverneur P. Hance. Subsequently, it was led by Paul
O.W. Hopkinson and William V. Day. St. Barnabas has grown into a diversified
community network with locations in Allegheny, Beaver, and Butler counties.
Today, its operations include:
 St. Barnabas Communities
 St. Barnabas Clinical Services
 St. Barnabas Charities
 St. Barnabas Hospitality Group
 St. Barnabas Broadcasting
 And several strategic subsidiaries that support its mission of care and
service
Under Douglas W. Day’s leadership, St. Barnabas will continue to honor its
founding mission while embracing innovation and growth across all areas of
operation.

(File Photo of Senator John Fetterman)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) According to a release in Washington, D.C. today from Senator John Fetterman’s office, Fetterman (D-PA) joined 51 of his colleagues today in voting for Senate Joint Resolution 98, the Venezuela War Powers Resolution. Senator Fetterman recently released this following statement: “I believe the arrest of Maduro was a positive development for Venezuela and its people. I salute our incredible military for their precise execution. I voted AYE on this resolution to discharge it from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee so we can continue this important debate on the floor of the Senate.”

(Photo Provided with Release Courtesy of the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) According to a recent release from the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit (BVIU) in Beaver County, The BVIUBoard of Directors is expected to vote later this month on borrowing up to $15 million to ensure New Horizon School reopens in time for the 2026–27 school year. However, before the measure can move forward, each of the fourteen school district boards in Beaver County must first approve the proposal. The borrowing measure will be considered by the BVIU board at their scheduled regular meeting on January 28th, 2026. This followed a special session on Tuesday that took almost four hours and it focused on finalizing details related to the financing, scope and timeline of the project and included both superintendents from the school districts that jointly own New Horizon and BVIU board members. Beaver County Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp informed the board members of the BVIU during the meeting that $1 million will be contributed from Beaver County toward the remediation effort. Commissioner Chairman Camp has also attended public meetings on the project over the past year and BVIU expresses their gratitude to him and leadership in Beaver County for their support of the rehabilitation project for New Horizon School and their support for the school itself.

(File Photo of a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Car)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) An investigation into an incident of two people getting attacked by their own dog in their Allegheny County home and suffering life-threatening injuries is ongoing. Allegheny County 911 officials told WPXI that police and EMS were called to a home in the 5900 block of Meade Street in Elizabeth Township before around 9:30 a.m. yesterday. The victims were taken to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Police shot and killed the dog. Additionally, a neighbor has taken in another dog that was in the home. According to an Elizabeth Township official, the home was found to be in deplorable conditions. The Elizabeth Township Building Inspector later condemned the house and deemed it “unlivable” and “unsafe.” He told WPXI that the house was purchased recently by new owners and police state that the house is a rental property. 

(File Photo of Road Work Ahead Sign)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Allegheny County, PA) PennDOT is announcing that single-lane restrictions on Interstate 79 in Robinson and Kennedy townships in Allegheny County will continue today, weather permitting. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., single-lane restrictions will occur in both directions of I-79 between the I-376 Airport/Pittsburgh (Exit 59 A/B) interchange and approximately one-half mile north of the Route 60 Moon Run/Crafton (Exit 60 A/B) interchanges to allow crews to conduct pothole patching there.

(File Photo of the Flag of the United States of America)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) Funding is now available to help community organizations and municipalities in Beaver County to plan both projects and local events to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States of America in 2026. January 31st, 2026 is when grant applications are due for the Beaver County America250 Grant Program, which will offer funding in grants to projects that celebrate the birthday of the country through activities that will bring communities together, promote Beaver County in 2026, educate and inspire youth. The grant program is being coordinated by Tony Caltury, the director of Beaver County Recreation and Tourism, along with the America250 Beaver County Committee and the Beaver County board of Commissioners. According to Caltury: “We’re thrilled to launch this grant program at such a historic moment. This is an opportunity for every community in Beaver County to engage residents and visitors alike in meaningful experiences that honor our shared past and look forward to our collective future.” You can find out more information or apply for grants for this program by clicking here.