ISTANBUL

Attorneys for Luigi Mangione have asked a New York federal judge to dismiss several charges in the December killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson -- including the sole count eligible for the death penalty -- alleging constitutional violations during his arrest.

In a motion filed Saturday in Manhattan, defense lawyers argued that investigators questioned Mangione before reading him his Miranda rights and searched his backpack without a warrant.
Authorities said the bag contained a handgun and ammunition.

The defense also asked that Mangione’s statements to law enforcement and the seized evidence be excluded from trial.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal charges stemming from the Dec. 4 shooting outside a Manhattan hotel, where Thompson had arrived for his company’s annual investor conference.

The killing sparked a multi-state manhunt after the suspected gunman fled on a bicycle through Central Park before reportedly taking a taxi to a nearby bus depot, according to NBC News.