Thomas Dickey, the attorney representing Mangione, has alleged that during police questioning, his client was offered food as a tactic to collect DNA samples. Dickey argued that the DNA samples obtained in this manner are inadmissible as they were acquired unlawfully. According to Dickey, law enforcement officers had no valid legal justification when they approached Mangione on December 9, five days post the murder of Thompson; their actions were solely based on a hunch.