NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #2

[LionofJudah]

Is it normal course of action to pay or to fight it off? Is the killing a way to make sure corporations pay up? That's one working theory I have (not saying it is a top theory).

jmo

Normal to pay. Many companies have insurance for this. Although recently the hackers have been asking for much more money than they used to, maybe that will cause a change.

 

[acutename]

So why then has no one come forward saying they know him at least distantly? If there is no identification by tomorrow, I think there are only 2 options - either he was a foreigner with no ties to this country or he wore a flesh mask that completely changed his features.

Or he had a beard and mustache for several years until 11/23/24

 

[MassGuy]

Not really, especially if he wasn’t familiar with NYC. Plenty of time to arrive, work out a plan, figure out an escape route, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did a few practice runs (for lack of a better term).

I wrote that before we learned that he quickly traveled to the Hilton Hotel. It appears he started getting a lay of the land right away. The nice thing is that they now have a starting point for each day, so they can trace his movements to and from that hostel.

 

[otto]

The problem is insurance companies often do not provide and frequently deny the coverage they are contractually required to provide.

I am a physical therapist and I can tell you every week I order, for example, a wheelchair for a child with special needs, the insurance coverage states that wheelchairs are covered and we spend the next 4-6 months going through insurance denials so the insurance company would be able to avoid paying. We can never get a straight answer as to why it’s being denied and after 25 years I still am guessing what we need to change every time to get an approval.

Many technically “covered” procedures are denied because the paperwork requests are not precise enough and it’s anyone’s guess what the insurance company is requiring this month to approve the procedure. People die waiting for medication or procedure approval.

Through all of this, the coverage STATES they will cover the requested procedure/equipment, but in reality, insurance companies often waste everyone’s time and money denying. Ask any physician or healthcare provider how much time they spend weekly dealing with this.

My own experience

Does this involve lawyers? That is, someone makes an insurance claim, 90% of the time it is denied, and legal remedies take years and life savings resources? ... so people let it go?

Is an insurance claim filed, followed by denials based on AI with 90% error rate, then appeals and gobblety gook answers while executives live the good life? I'm not surprised he was assigned a security detail - but why was his security mysteriously absent the morning he was shot?

 

[JudithMarzo]

Yea i dont think this is the guy.
Jacket has pockets on front. Hoodie is lighter in color and seems to be a part of a shirt under tge jacket. Its also missing the white line on top of the hood (logo?). Backpack is black.

I thought the same thing. Apparently this smiling photo is from previous stays at the hostel, prior to Thanksgiving when they switched out the seating in the lobby. We don’t have enough to know that it’s the same person, agreed.

 

[JudithMarzo]

Does this involve lawyers? That is, someone makes an insurance claim, 90% of the time it is denied, and legal remedies take years and life savings resources? ... so people let it go?

Is an insurance claim filed, followed by denials based on AI with 90% error rate, then appeals and gobblety gook answers while executives live the good life? I'm not surprised he was assigned a security detail - but why was his security mysteriously absent the morning he was shot?

All accounts I’ve seen state he didn’t have security. It is odd.

 

[Kapua]

Or he had a beard and mustache for several years until 11/23/24

I love this theory. I was also thinking that he could have dyed his eyebrows dark and worn mascara. And I wonder if he's changed his appearance since the shooting. MOO

 

[Ed Teach]

Most recent articles are referring to the weapon being a welrod pistol. That is a very unique antique firearm somewhat rare. It's a very very interesting choice of weapon especially considering this guy is writing on the bullet casings. Really bizarre.

 

[ChrisM]

In my limited experience following cases on WS I have noticed a tendency to think a murderer that has not been caught yet is a criminal mastermind who has special skills that are helping him evade capture.I do this. So far every criminal in a case I have followed has ended up being a dumb *advertiser censored** who just got lucky.
In this case there are things that make me think he was working with someone and had some sort of training and had a well thought out plan.
But I have been wrong before!

i have the sense that this one is fairly carefully thought out.

 

[LionofJudah]

Assume LE are looking into recent claims/denials/complaints/grievances/appeals to see if he fits.

I agree but that is an awful lot to look at.

 

[nightowl1975]

Agreed, having done some case management for a hospital. UHC was the worst.

As a healthcare worker, I agree 100% that UHC is the worst. This is supported by the fact that their denial rate is double the industry standard. They may ultimately pay a claim if someone fights long enough over it, but all of those months with the money in their account vs the doctor/hospital, etc receiving it timely means massive amounts of interest earned for UHC. I also have no doubt a lot of denied claims are just never paid because the person is unable/incapable of fighting it. If they deny long enough, maybe the person will give up. Or die. UHC doesn’t care which one it is either.

 

[K.jill]

i have the sense that this one is fairly carefully thought out.

Me too.

 

[nightowl1975]

I agree but that is an awful lot to look at.

Yes, it is. About 1/3 of all claims denied. Millions of claims.

 

[DancingMuse]

i have the sense that this one is fairly carefully thought out.

I agree with you ChrisM. Well thought out.

I am interested in who paid for it when we learn more.

Estimated Costs of NoName, Nov 2024:

Specialty handgun $ 5,700
Approx.10 nights @Hostel 1,500
Round trip (Bus from SE state to NYC) 300
Quality Bookbags (One fits inside other) 500
Rental of ebike (3 days+) 400+
(we don’t know if he bought, instead)
Food ($40/day) 400

Quality jacket(s) (Two, in pics) 500
Quality Fake ID for least one State 300+

_______
_______
$9,600 +

These are just some of the expenditures the last two weeks.

This is a lot of money for a young guy to afford.

Who is paying for all this?

 

[JudithMarzo]

i think this is why we speculate he was working with someone else who had access to Brian's schedule and habits. maybe Brian typically left hotels around 6:45am for 8:00am meetings
jmo

A lot of conferences open at 7 AM for check with breakfast before the first speaker.

 

[Kystarrk]

Yea i dont think this is the guy.
Jacket has pockets on front. Hoodie is lighter in color and seems to be a part of a shirt under tge jacket. Its also missing the white line on top of the hood (logo?). Backpack is black.

Agreed. To add, the nose bridges seem different and so do the color of the brows. POI has darker features IMO.

 

[IzzyBlanche]

I am confused why people are doubting it's the same guy when NYPD has said it's the same guy.

They know WAAAAAAAAY more than we do, and if they say it's the same guy I believe them.

 

[MesquiteO21]

We will know tomorrow. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction or Hollywood. You don't think him coolly shooting Thompson like that in the middle of Manhattan is strange in itself?

Wait…why tomorrow, did I miss something? Or do you just feel like the walls are closing in quickly?

 

[EBW321]

I am sticking with my theory of foreign hitman hired by someone local in the USA who wanted Thompson out of the way.
- Starting point Atlanta - could have arrived at Atlanta airport from abroad
- looks Slavic/Eastern European
- looks and moves like a dancer/fine arts person (more common for males in that culture)
- familiar with dark web and crypto currency. Big hacker community.
- used a world war 2 gun (or replica) that hasn’t been traced so far. Russia was a big part of WW2.
- emotionless when committing the crime so this was not personal to him. He was just doing a job.
- no social media presence
- no one has stepped up so far saying they know him which is surprising if he was raised here.

Hopefully he is still in the US and they apprehend him soon.

I became obsessed with his clothing after noticing the $300 backpack and the shoes, which my friend and I thought might be Allbirds are Adidas Ultraboost $180 - one of the pics revealed details like the trademark stripes so I found them online. I’m pretty sure he was wearing a Patagonia Houdini windbreaker based on details including a label on the upper left. My friend and I agreed that he’s a well dressed shooter. The pack, shoes, and jacket are all available at REI. I’m still trying to figure out the parka he was wearing at the hostel.These detectives need a woman and gay man to point out these helpful signifier details!

You are so spot on!

 

[Jamara3]

A lot of conferences open at 7 AM for check with breakfast before the first speaker.

He likely had a personal assistant and his entire day would have been scheduled out on his calendar down to specifics like: “6:45am Arrive at Hilton.” Probably even had a 7am breakfast meeting with someone. Just thinking about the idea that the company had dealt with hackers in the past. Anyone with access would know his locations for such a tightly scheduled event like a conference. Or, someone inside the company is another possibility.