NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #4

[Deleted member 306806]

Yes, I saw Greyhound buses to Boston, Philly and DC leaving in the early afternoon -- at 1:25 pm and 1:45 pm. Risky to sit in the bus station and wait that long. Maybe he did catch a bus somewhere else.

Catching multiple busses, cabs, or other modes of transportation would also make it more difficult for authorities to track him. More time consuming, more business to review footage from, could have gone into an area with less CCTV, dropping him off the map so to speak.

 

[caradana]

Caradana.... what do you actually mean by this....??
he hit some megabus and
took Route 80 (i get the rt 80)

Hi! I mean he rode the private buses out; no ID, probably visa gift cards used to pay via apps on another burner phone. For those who are Lee Child fans, this shooter escaped the area Jack Reacher style.

 

[Tiff23fr]

This case is intriguing and I have valued the ability to follow along and ponder the great points each of you bring up. In thinking about the attire, as you all have pointed out, it triggered an additional angle for me. A possible day trader’ish individual that may have lost some money. Someone that had money at one time to purchase high end items, but was now down to staying at a hostel.

That led me to look at where the stock hits occurred most the last year and the media surrounding it.
Stock was $494 on March 28
Stock was $439 on April 12

6 Days later: April 22 Cyber Attack

Following this time frame I stumbled upon some back and forth with the WSJ on two recent articles. Was the photography backpack an intentional part of this?

August 8 - Publicly took on WSJ:

UnitedHealth Group’s Response to the Wall Street Journal

Setting the record straight on HouseCalls, Medicare Advantage and the demonstrably superior health outcomes and cost savings delivered to more than 33 million American seniors each year.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

I quickly attempted to identify the articles being referenced and am speculating it may be these articles:

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-health-insurance-diagnosis-payments-b4d99a5d

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/medicare-extra-payments-home-visits-diagnosis-057dca8b

I thought I would pop in and share what your great brain storming bubbled up on my end as I follow along.

 

[SleuthJan]

Gives me the effing creeps.

Scott Ratigan CCTV footage on the left.

From these pics, POI could even pass for a woman

 

[Inthedetails]

Yes, I saw Greyhound buses to Boston, Philly and DC leaving in the early afternoon -- at 1:25 pm and 1:45 pm. Risky to sit in the bus station and wait that long. Maybe he did catch a bus somewhere else.

I'm thinking he got on a bus to NJ and didn't stay on the bus long. Of course, I could be wrong, but he's stealth and I think he would've used the bus to get out of NYC as quick as possible and then switch to other transportation. (Or the bus took him home for all we know.)

jmopinion

 

[MesquiteO21]

I would take the he acted alone message to mean that he acted alone in executing this. Not that he was not potentially hired by someone else.

This is a good point. I agree.

 

[FoxxTraxx]

Lifelong Manhattan resident, and yes, this is most known as a commute-to-NJ station. I live downtown and I think I've taken a bus from that station two or three times in my life. It's not the type of place that a person from far away would necessarily know about.

FWIW - George Washington Bridge Bus Station. Nothing too exciting but this likely from where he fled the city. I was surprised it has been there since the 1960s. Site: Port Authority NY/NJ

 

[Fabled Automatic]

I may have missed it being discussed, but I noticed in the pic of the alleged suspect at the hotel where he's smiling, he's wearing a black backpack. But at the time of the murder he's wearing a grey backpack.

The one found in the park was grey.

 

[NottaYutz]

I'm still leaning towards BT setting up the murder himself.
1. Scheduled it for NY so that it will be far away from his wife and kids. He knows it will be bad for them either way, but setting it up in NY is almost like a buffer between the two places so that locals don't have to deal with it, hence involving his family. Anyone looking to kill him would find it easier in the small suburb in Minnesota: less cameras, less traffic, less police experience in these kinds of killings. So much easier in Maple Grove, Minnesota than NYC, NY.
2. He was under investigation with insider trading. Maybe he was afraid the money would be taken from him, thus his kids and estranged wife would be left with nothing, plus the shame of him being found guilty and possibly going to jail. He would rather die than go to jail or his boys be ashamed of him. Plus he had life insurance going to them.
3. Shooter had no qualms about going to Starbucks less than 30 minutes before shooting. He had no worries about "missing" the timeframe of BT walking out, so he knew absolutely what time BT would walk out. How? Only BT would know as no one was with him. Even if a bellman would tip him off, he sure as heck would not be hanging out getting a latte and missing the chance when bellman would call him with the tip "Hey, he just got off the elevator." I think he was on the phone with BT himself who said "I'm heading down right now. And I've got on a bright blue blazer."
4. BT wore a bright blue jacket -- not something a CEO going to a conference would wear. Plus it was frigid. BT worth millions. Would have had a nice suit, plus overcoat. And I don't think BT had any kind of bag with him. Most people going to a daylong conference would have his laptop bag. I think BT knew he was NOT going to need his laptop, so he left it behind. BT was 50 years old. Young enough to be very techy savvy. My adult kids and my husband all rely on their laptops at work: leaving it in a hotel room while going off to work for a day in NYC would make no sense at all.
5. Hitman was in NYC for 10 days. I think he was given $$ ahead of time. Thought, well, I might as well visit NYC because they will be looking for me afterwards, so I'll just go early and see the sights. BT was in town for just one day conference, so it's not like Hitman was looking at BT's regular activity for ten days.
6. Bullets being labeled was a setup to let everyone think it's a disgruntled insurancee or their family member.
7. BT used to have security. Why not in NYC?
8. Hitman seemed too casual to be on a personal vendetta. More of a professional hitman who knew he had a job to do, but was experienced enough that this was not too big of a deal. If I was wanting revenge for a loved one or for myself, I would be focused on getting the job done: in Maple Grove closer to his home so his loved ones could experience the pain I had closer to them, not seeing the sights in NYC, not smiling at the hostel employee, not smiling at all. NYC is way too expensive to do a hit there and everyone knows there are cameras everywhere. Doing it in Maple Grove would have been so much easier and less newsworthy.

True or not, this is a very plausible scenario. That bright blue jacket continues to gnaw at my unconscious. Of course, I'm nowhere near any corporate executives, yet I always imagine them in suits of black, deep navy, or shades of grey.

EDIT: In his official UHC photo, he appears to be wearing a casual, navy blue zippered jacket. That may have been intentional to portray a gosh-gee-willikers-I'm-just-like-you sort of image as opposed to one in a $5K tailored suit.

MOO.

 

[Mr applebee]

He's young, thin, and attractive, but personally I don't see any feminine features.

You’re right. I can sort of see why people are saying it looks like he could be female based on the one shot from the side angle view, but the second cctv shot image where he’s more head on, you can make out his slight dark stubble and there’s nothing feminine looking about him.

 

[CamilleBSP]

I am creeped out by the idea that his first 30 minutes in the city were spent outside the Hilton. He scoped out the murder site before checking into the hostel. I'm sure he was checking out cameras on buildings around the hotel and plotting his movements. imo

And then he committed murder in full view of a camera.

Shudder. That is cold and creepy calculation. He purposely wanted the murder (and himself, tbh) to be seen.

That was not a sloppy mistake, but purposeful. imo

jmo

Yeah, I do feel that him arriving so early has to do with him doing recon of the area and things like cameras and all kinds of surveillance.

Also, he could’ve been following BT since Monday and knew he would be without a security detail because he was in a hotel so close to the place where the meeting would happen.

 

[GRT]

The jawline is very masculine. But given how lithe he is, he could pass for a woman, and a pretty one at that, if he tried to. IMO

To me, the people in the two photos seem to have very different noses. Similar features otherwise, but those noses...

 

[ElizaKate]

I may have missed it being discussed, but I noticed in the pic of the alleged suspect at the hotel where he's smiling, he's wearing a black backpack. But at the time of the murder he's wearing a grey backpack.

Yes he appears to have had two backpacks during his 10 day stay in NYC.

I believe the black backpack with the things he wanted to take with him was inside the grey one during the murder (or possibly hidden somewhere around W. 85th and 86th where he's ditched the bike before getting a cab). He always planned to ditch the grey one. MOO

 

[Friday Fan]

To me, the people in the two photos seem to have very different noses. Similar features otherwise, but those noses...

View attachment 549869

It's the angle

 

[Inthedetails]

Just thought of something. The GWB bus terminal has a few shops, including a GAP outlet and a Marshalls. It's possible he purchased a change of clothing. (I kind of doubt it, but it's possible.)

jmo

 

[armchairagatha]

<modsnip - good link, removing only the misheard comment>

I am fairly convinced now that this was a hired assassin from abroad. I think they have at least iDed him to someone not from the USA. I am not convinced he has left the USA though and is probably laying low somewhere in someone’s basement in Atlanta or thereabouts (probably the person who supplied him with the gun). It would have required extremely meticulous planning and luck for him to have taken a flight abroad out of Atlanta before his face was plastered all over. The only way I see that happening is he took a flight out early on Thursday morning at the latest. JMO.

 

[snarast]

To me, the people in the two photos seem to have very different noses. Similar features otherwise, but those noses...

View attachment 549869

Indeed. I’m confused about his nose in general. Maybe the shark-smile made his nose bridge more even-looking - that can happen with ”cartilage-heavy” noses.

IMO

 

[MesquiteO21]

I'm still leaning towards BT setting up the murder himself.
1. Scheduled it for NY so that it will be far away from his wife and kids. He knows it will be bad for them either way, but setting it up in NY is almost like a buffer between the two places so that locals don't have to deal with it, hence involving his family. Anyone looking to kill him would find it easier in the small suburb in Minnesota: less cameras, less traffic, less police experience in these kinds of killings. So much easier in Maple Grove, Minnesota than NYC, NY.
2. He was under investigation with insider trading. Maybe he was afraid the money would be taken from him, thus his kids and estranged wife would be left with nothing, plus the shame of him being found guilty and possibly going to jail. He would rather die than go to jail or his boys be ashamed of him. Plus he had life insurance going to them.
3. Shooter had no qualms about going to Starbucks less than 30 minutes before shooting. He had no worries about "missing" the timeframe of BT walking out, so he knew absolutely what time BT would walk out. How? Only BT would know as no one was with him. Even if a bellman would tip him off, he sure as heck would not be hanging out getting a latte and missing the chance when bellman would call him with the tip "Hey, he just got off the elevator." I think he was on the phone with BT himself who said "I'm heading down right now. And I've got on a bright blue blazer."
4. BT wore a bright blue jacket -- not something a CEO going to a conference would wear. Plus it was frigid. BT worth millions. Would have had a nice suit, plus overcoat. And I don't think BT had any kind of bag with him. Most people going to a daylong conference would have his laptop bag. I think BT knew he was NOT going to need his laptop, so he left it behind. BT was 50 years old. Young enough to be very techy savvy. My adult kids and my husband all rely on their laptops at work: leaving it in a hotel room while going off to work for a day in NYC would make no sense at all.
5. Hitman was in NYC for 10 days. I think he was given $$ ahead of time. Thought, well, I might as well visit NYC because they will be looking for me afterwards, so I'll just go early and see the sights. BT was in town for just one day conference, so it's not like Hitman was looking at BT's regular activity for ten days.
6. Bullets being labeled was a setup to let everyone think it's a disgruntled insurancee or their family member.
7. BT used to have security. Why not in NYC?
8. Hitman seemed too casual to be on a personal vendetta. More of a professional hitman who knew he had a job to do, but was experienced enough that this was not too big of a deal. If I was wanting revenge for a loved one or for myself, I would be focused on getting the job done: in Maple Grove closer to his home so his loved ones could experience the pain I had closer to them, not seeing the sights in NYC, not smiling at the hostel employee, not smiling at all. NYC is way too expensive to do a hit there and everyone knows there are cameras everywhere. Doing it in Maple Grove would have been so much easier and less newsworthy.

Huh, this is intriguing i must say. I can’t rule it out at this point

 

[Elley Mae]

You’re right. I can sort of see why people are saying it looks like he could be female based on the one shot from the side angle view, but the second cctv shot image where he’s more head on, you can make out his slight dark stubble and there’s nothing feminine looking about him.

If I were younger I would have flirted with him.

Jmo

 

[CityKid]

Just thought of something. The GWB bus terminal has a few shops, including a GAP outlet and a Marshalls. It's possible he purchased a change of clothing. (I kind of doubt it, but it's possible.)

jmo

Would the shops have been open that early? The few times I've been there I've gone by subway and had no idea there was a shopping area!