NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #3

[GRT]

It’s surprising to me that they still haven’t identified him yet. I do wonder if much of the evidence left behind was a red herring to throw them off track.

RSBM
I'm thinking along the same lines.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

100% agree. This media coverage was expected, imo, and probably desired. my opinion

jmo

agree. big time.

 

[MassGuy]

If his DNA is not already in the system for a crime, let’s get Othram on the case!

I really don’t think it will come to that, but it’s nice to have that in your back pocket.

They’ve got that cell phone.

They’ve got a pretty rare gun to track down.

They’ve got the ability to perhaps find him based on phone calls he made.

Most importantly, they have that image of his face that has likely produced reliable tips.

So I expect this DNA to serve as confirmation of his involvement once he is identified.

 

[JDG]

Brian Thompson’s ex-security shocked UnitedHealthcare CEO was unguarded after company’s Minn. HQ rocked by protests

The Minnesota headquarters of UnitedHealth were rocked by two large protests just months before the CEO of the company’s insurance division was executed in Manhattan Wednesday — as the …

nypost.com

 

[Sunshynn]

RSBM
I'm thinking along the same lines.

I've been thinking this since the beginning.
Was careful enough to always wear a mask (other than when flirting) but careless enough to drop a cellphone in an alley?

 

[Universecalling]

Yes and it’s interesting that in the head shot which is frequently shared, it looks like he is dressed fairly casually— almost looks like a zip up fleece jacket, not coat and tie.

He was also wearing that lighter blue suit jacket when killed, not the usual dark suit.

So maybe he is more of a homebody, down to earth person.

Does anyone know what kind of car he drove?

I’ve been around fair amount of C suites and honestly do not remember in the past 6-8 years any of them wearing a tie. If I think really hard I may remember maybe a few times. Some of them are global leaders not just VP/CEOs of divisions.
Typically they’re in a suit jacket and no tie. Many are dressed exactly how BT was dressed in that photo.
Even if you look at Andrew Witty’s wiki page you can see he’s more business casual, and he’s the global lead for UHG.

ETA: of course there are times they wear full suit and tie, but that’s mainly for DC business and such.
The running joke is that if you see someone in a suit and tie roaming in any HQ building in the world, they’re interviewing for their next climb up the ladder

 

[ATaco]

"The elite" - can you explain who exactly you mean by this?

Politicians, shareholders, people with a vested financial insterest in the company.

 

[racheldc]

I wondered about this too. Or, maybe the smiling face belongs to an accomplice with similar features who donned the clothing to throw LE off. I'd like to know the time stamps of the two photos we've seen.

Wouldn't the hostel front desk girl recognize that the guy was wearing a face mask? I mean, it would have to be some professional-grade application because he pulled a mask down and was smiling wildly and it flexed with his face and didn't dislodge. And he had just stepped off a 20+ hour Greyhound ride and there wasn't anywhere to apply some actor-grade mask.
There is no way that happened. It's his real face in the front desk pictures.

 

[Simply Southern]

TONS of people are rooting for the killer.

I've seen so many memes being shared and if someone posts that they have sympathy for BT or BT's family they are literally roasted alive in the comments.
It's odd how detached from emotion people are about this killing.

I certainly did not want BT murdered.

45years in healthcare, dealing with UHC, I can see why so many are angry.

UHC is responsible for 1000's of small businesses going belly up, delayed or no payment, some areas they've captured 100% of the market with large HC companies, rock bottom pricing, authorizations for ALL out patient services, dragging their feet on claim processing, payment, and authorizations for critical services. They use Al to process claims, bragging about the 90% denial rate, forcing claims to be appealed...usually requiring a conference with the physician (depose). Takes months to even obtain a date for the conference.

So many possibilities of potential suspects from small businesses to families UHC has ruined.

Client or patient families
Home nursing agencies
Home medical equipment companies
Nursing homes
Pharmacies
Physician offices
Labs)XRay
Smaller hospitals

And let's not forget the 401ks that lost money when the DOJ investigation was announced. (Eta)

UHC contracts with national providers, it's to the point if UHC moves into a new area small locals try to sell or just pack up and close.

The meeting was to celebrate/inform investors of a 450 million profit, this year.

All my opinion...

 

[CrimeDawg123]

Politicians, shareholders, people with a vested financial insterest in the company.

That's a pretty broad range of suspects.

 

[eddie_van]

This theory could actually have some legs. Probably my favorite as far as the hitman theories go. Except that hiring a hitman is extraordinarily difficult and risky. But the shooter was on the phone minutes before all of this happened.

Perp: “Hey BT, I’m walking toward you now.”
BT: “I’m not quite ready, let’s plan for 6:45”
Perp: “Okay, I’ll make a pit stop first (Sbux). Then I’ll head that way.”

Chilling in reality, but not out of the realm of possibility. Also, they could have used Google Voice or another VoIP service to avoid easier detection/tracking.

I don’t actually believe this; but it does explain some of the oddities. BT definitely had a motive or two to do this.

once you start thinking about ridiculous theories like "hiring hitmen on himself", it's time to step away from the computer and do something else, imo.

 

[Jamara3]

Someone had also mentioned the bright blue suit jacket not being suitable for a big board meeting.....

Currently, I cannot subscribe to this..but just saying, you are not alone.....

The jacket is similar to their brand color blue, and this conference is somewhat like a keynote address so it’s possibly not that out there. Big fanfare stage set up rather than a stuffy meeting. I once worked for a company that launched a product revolving around yellow/gold colors and the brand team had the CEO wear a very bright gold jacket to the quarterly earnings address.

But I agree the color is unusually bright. Googling past photos the UHG execs typically wear darker and navy blues.

Another thought to add about this coming from inside. He likely didn’t pick out this jacket, assistants were likely responsible for sourcing his wardrobe. It would have been known to a group people at least.

 

[clearskies1]

Someone had also mentioned the bright blue suit jacket not being suitable for a big board meeting.....

Currently, I cannot subscribe to this..but just saying, you are not alone.....

I think it's because Minnesota attire choices may be different than the typical corporate stuff. JMO.

 

[fashionella]

Couldnt he have simply put the battery in his coat pocket? Or the backpack? From my experience, ebike batteries arent incredibly large and would fit in the pocket of a winter coat.

they are large and heavy.

 

[MassGuy]

Important updates from
@Tom_Winter
@
@jonathan4ny
on state of manhunt:-No suspect has been identified at this hour by investigators-police have found “dozens and dozens” of images from surveillance cams of suspect tracking his timeline in Manhattan
@NBCNews

https://twitter.com/x/status/1865066418099683618

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Well- I have been wrong on everything about this case so far.

Didn't think it was going to prove to be well planned- boy was it
Thought they would catch him by the end of the day- didn't
Thought he would be local to the region and get caught using his EZpass or Commuter card- not it

I do think they will get him sooner rather than later.

So dialing the wheel of possibilities... they will get him today.

ha ha....
Your wheel of fortune, eh??

 

[Lore Listener]

Just because we are obsessing over this story, doesn't mean his peers are.

Most of the time I would agree with you. Many times I have been shocked to hear from people I know that they have never even heard of whatever murder I and the true crime scene are obsessed about at the moment. (Big ones! Like LISK and Abby & Libby!)

BUT! Due to the thriller-movie plot of this, widespread anger over insurance denials, and supposed Jake Gyllenhaal/Timothee Chalamet-ness of the suspect, this particular case is getting massive coverage on not only traditional media but social media too. I think awareness of this murder and the suspect's appearance is getting much more saturation than the usual unsolved killing.

Then again, I'd have thought he'd be in custody in the first 48 hours, honestly, so who knows!

 

[fridaybaker]

I’ve been around fair amount of C suites and honestly do not remember in the past 6-8 years any of them wearing a tie. If I think really hard I may remember maybe a few times. Some of them are global leaders not just VP/CEOs of divisions.
Typically they’re in a suit jacket and no tie. Many are dressed exactly how BT was dressed in that photo.
Even if you look at Andrew Witty’s wiki page you can see he’s more business casual, and he’s the global lead for UHG.

I have to laugh at this, as you are so right! It's a very calculated decision not to wear a tie. The whole look, from the slightly unbottoned shirt, to the no-tie, to the shoe-type, is all cauculated to present an image with these folks. Same with hand gestures when speaking, etc.

I've personally heard Witty speak and been at events with him and every. single. thing. he does is calculated to present an image.

And they never wear a tie.

 

[Charlot123]

Well if the simplest explanation is that he is a citizen of the United States and that is his real face, how has social media not revealed his identity now that the pics have been out for 24 hrs? He is young and even if he is not personally on social media I guarantee a friend of a friend is, so why have they kept quiet? Even if they were worried about their safety, there are anonymous ways of posting that info (example: on Reddit).

On the photos where he is talking to the hostel worker, two things stand out.

Look at his hands. Am I the only one to see that they are:
- flexible maybe even slightly hyperextendable
- at this, he has “toe thumb nails” (wide and short) - not an unusual trait but very unusual in combination with long thumbs
- pretty visible knuckles, as if he was into karate
- the third photo: the walk. Unusual as I think both feet are on the ground. You usually put your heel on first which I think he does, but then, he “rolls” his feet. Probably very athletic and with a good balance.

All these things must be noticeable to people who know him, but otherwise, he’s just a guy on the street.

People who are close to him may not be motivated to sell their friend for 10K. Why?

I never saw the guy. He slightly resembles one of my friends courting me in my youth that is, eons ago (and he had dark hair and blue eyes and was great at travesty roles in amateur movies), but IRL, a regular guy.

I think this is how most people would think.

 

[rizzo0904]

Most of the time I would agree with you. Many times I have been shocked to hear from people I know that they have never even heard of whatever murder I and the true crime scene are obsessed about at the moment. (Big ones! Like LISK and Abby & Libby!)

BUT! Due to the thriller-movie plot of this, widespread anger over insurance denials, and supposed Jake Gyllenhaal/Timothee Chalamet-ness of the suspect, this particular case is getting massive coverage on not only traditional media but social media too. I think awareness of this murder and the suspect's appearance is getting much more saturation than the usual unsolved killing.

Then again, I'd have thought he'd be in custody in the first 48 hours, honestly, so who knows!

Even my 72 year old dad, with no social media, is following this case.