NEW YORK (AP) — The murder proceedings against Luigi Mangione in New York intensify on Thursday, marking one year since the alleged shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. This pivotal hearing plays a crucial role in the upcoming legal battles.

Mangione, 27, maintains his innocence against both state and federal allegations. His defense team is currently working to prevent future jurors from considering certain evidence, such as his purported statements to authorities and items reportedly confiscated from his possession, including a firearm and a notebook.

The prosecution places significant weight on these pieces of evidence. They argue that the 9 mm gun aligns with the weapon used in the crime, that the notebook contains writings expressing Mangione’s animosity towards health insurers and musings on assassinating a CEO during an investor meeting. Additionally, they claim he provided Pennsylvania police with the same pseudonym that the suspected shooter used at a New York hostel shortly before the incident.

The victim, Thompson, aged 50, was fatally shot from behind on his way to an investor conference on December 4, 2024. He had risen to the position of CEO at UnitedHealthcare in 2021, following a two-decade career with UnitedHealth Group Inc.

This week’s hearing, initiated on Monday and possibly continuing into the next, pertains solely to the state charges. However, it offers a comprehensive look at some of the evidence, including testimony, video footage, and 911 recordings, relevant to both the state and federal cases.

It’s not immediately clear what witnesses or evidence are expected Thursday.

Tuesday’s court session displayed police body-camera video of officers confronting Mangione at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and concluding — to their amazement — that he was the much-publicized suspect in Thompson’s killing five days earlier.

They interacted with Mangione for roughly 20 minutes before telling him he had the right to remain silent. The officers asked his name, whether he’d been in New York recently and other questions, including: “Why are you nervous?”

Officers tried to play it cool and buy time by intimating that they were simply responding to a loitering complaint and chatting about his steak sandwich. Still, they patted Mangione down and pushed his backpack away from him. About 15 minutes in, they warned him that he was being investigated and would be arrested if he repeated what they’d determined was a fake name.

After he gave his real one, he was read his rights, handcuffed, frisked again and ultimately arrested on a forgery charge related to his fake ID.

The video also provided glimpses of officers searching his backpack, a matter that will likely be explored further as the hearing goes on.

Mangione’s lawyers argue that his statements shouldn’t be allowed as trial evidence because officers started questioning him before reading his rights. The defense contends the backpack items should be excluded because police didn’t get a warrant before searching his bag.

Manhattan prosecutors haven’t yet detailed their arguments for allowing the disputed evidence. Federal prosecutors have maintained that police were justified in searching the backpack to ensure there was nothing dangerous inside and that Mangione’s statements to officers were voluntary and made before he was under arrest.

Many criminal cases see disputes over evidence and the complicated legal standards governing police searches and interactions with potential suspects.