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

[Elley Mae]

I have a feeling nothing will be found on/in the backpack that will lead LE to him. He left it there to be rid of it.

Hope I’m wrong.
Jmo

 

[ellabella]

It did dawn on me today that the suspect appears to have left the city with nothing but the clothes on his back. Not to say you couldn’t make it to GA in that condition, if that’s the actual destination, but it is a long way to go without a phone(?) or many/any possessions. Maybe not top concerns when you’re evading a murder charge that’s national news but leads me to think he didn’t go too far, at least initially. Whether that was to catch a plane, receive some assistance etc

It would not surprise me if he had a separate bag pre stashed somewhere or in a luggage locker on the way to wherever he’s headed.

 

[krikken]

I would lean Israeli before Russian/FSU. Definitely not saying that such an origin plays any kind of role politically or ideologically. (My leading theory is that his profile is a self-radicalized American anti-establishment/anti-capitalism activist.) Looks too high-maintenance for Russian to be #1 likeliest possibility. Though even the younger Boston bomber cut a stylish figure, in some people's eyes, so one never knows.

 

[Sheila Terranova]

That's what I'm thinking. I bet they've had so many tips and someone knows who he is.

Exactly. And how many buses could leave the station in a short period of time? They must be checking every single one snd the drivers memories . Then off to the new bus destinations for more camera footage.

 

[snarast]

Thank you I know, bad movie script, right? Anonymous-like kinda. And lets throw in the illuminati, the kremlin and Rey Rivera and we’re all set.

 

[GRT]

I would lean Israeli before Russian/FSU. Definitely not saying that such an origin plays any kind of role politically or ideologically. (My leading theory is that his profile is a self-radicalized American anti-establishment/anti-capitalism activist.) Looks too high-maintenance for Russian to be #1 likeliest possibility. Though even the younger Boston bomber cut a stylish figure, in some people's eyes, so one never knows.

I was thinking Mossad, too.

 

[snarast]

I was thinking Mossad, too.

Oh, always and FSB and GRU.

 

[JDG]

Thank you I know, bad movie script, right? Anonymous-like kinda. And lets throw in the illuminati, the kremlin and Rey Rivera and we’re all set.

It will make a great movie, particularly if they don’t catch him.

 

[SleuthJan]

I would lean Israeli before Russian/FSU. Definitely not saying that such an origin plays any kind of role politically or ideologically. (My leading theory is that his profile is a self-radicalized American anti-establishment/anti-capitalism activist.) Looks too high-maintenance for Russian to be #1 likeliest possibility. Though even the younger Boston bomber cut a stylish figure, in some people's eyes, so one never knows.

Russian or Israeli has a direct connection to our politics, but with everything going on in their own countries- I am a bit skeptical to assume that they would pull off such a plan in the US.

 

[Deleted member 341776]

In his photos he looks almost identical to someone I know who was born in the USA to two Greek parents. (It's most certainly not him.) I don't think we have nearly enough identifying info as the public to determine a country of origin.

 

[Elley Mae]

The 50-year-old UnitedHealthcare CEO, a married dad, was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7:12 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

New video shows UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassin on phone moments before murder

The alleged masked assassin who killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a luxury Midtown hotel on Wednesday morning was captured seemingly talking on the phone moments before the murder.

nypost.com

…

According to Kenny, the gunman was finally seen entering a cab that dropped him off near the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal at 178th St and Broadway — his last known location — around 7:30 a.m., just 45 minutes after the fatal shooting.

Killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson likely fled NYC amid manhunt: NYPD

NYPD detectives, with the help of Port Authority police, have managed to track the gunman’s movements from when he first arrived in the city. Police sources said the suspect arrived in the ci…

www.nydailynews.com

 

[Trino]

I live in Minnesota, which is the headquarters of UHC. This past summer there were protests at the headquarters, AND Health Partners, a major medical facility here, had plans to not accept UHC insurance because UHC denial rate was so high. They have come to some agreement - not certain what - but I was affected. The denial rate of UHC was 22.7% in 2022, which is one in five - extremely high. And, guess how they determine denial - artifical intelligence! Apparently, most insured that were denied just paid and just went on with their lives. Those who appealed (a minority) were mostly allowed. UHC is a for-profit company, which explains a lot.

 

[BrianJohnson]

I was thinking Mossad, too.

Don’t think it was Mossad tbh, they work in big teams and use elaborate methods, when they killed a terrorist who was in Dubai they had a 16 man hit squad and assassinated him by hacking his hotel door card and injecting him with a drug behind his ear to make it look like a heart attack, they have also frequently killed targets by toy car bombs, just firing a few bullets into someone’s back is not their typical style

I don’t think it was a state sponsored assassination, not Mossad/GRU, more likely Russian mafia or something

 

[sleepysleuth]

I am absolutely shocked that we don’t have a public name at this point. That is actually crazy to me.

Just a few random thoughts:

1. When I saw his face, I thought he looked like Nev Schulman (Catfish). Nev is German-Jewish, Russian-Jewish, Polish-Jewish, and Romanian-Jewish according to wiki.

2. I initially thought that someone close to BT was behind this, but now I’m at the place where either the police can’t make that determination until they identify him, or they have ruled it out completely. I think if they had any info that showed he was working with someone closely related to BT, that we would be hearing more rumors about his personal life. We are 4 days in an I haven’t seen a single report from someone “close to the family” sharing some sort of gossip.

3. Now I’m starting to lean towards the whole Unibomber, Eric Rudolph type of killer - someone with a political motivation. If this is the case, I would expect that his hit list is longer and the investors meeting was more the target than BT himself. I would also think we would get some sort of communication out of him when he is settled into a safe place. This type of killer usually wants their message to be interpreted how they meant it to be, since that’s the whole point. If this is his motivation, he has been quite successful. Other CEOs are living in fear and he has certainly gotten their attention.

4. I absolutely love that a woman will be this man’s undoing. What a win for the girlies. Even the most calculated, laser-focused man on a mission can’t resist our charms

 

[MelmothTheLost]

I was thinking Mossad, too.

Eh? Why would Mossad send an agent to assassinate a major business leader on the territory of Israel's most important ally?

This feels domestic to me.

 

[BrianJohnson]

I am still curious how the assassin knew that BT would be leaving the hotel via that exit, either he got lucky, had a tip off from someone in the hotel, or there was another assassin waiting near the front entrance incase he came out of the hotel that way.

Leaning towards the last bit

 

[Inthedetails]

The suicide discussion helped me get to the root of why this case is so interesting to me.

If you murder someone, especially in encroaching daylight in one of the most populous cities in the world, by definition it seems you have little to lose. You have to accept (and honestly expect) that you will be caught. As a result, many shooters under these circumstances would take their own lives or surrender on the scene. You have to imagine that he's let go of many of the ties that bind him to his daily life in order to commit this murder.

Yet his actions suggest someone with much to lose. He carefully concealed his face. He arrived in the city via one of the lease traceable methods in modern society. He seemed to carefully plan the shooting. He had the burner phone, the fake ID, he paid in cash.

So which is it? Did he honestly expect to get away with this crime (impossible, IMO). That thought seems so irrational, yet the execution was so methodical and rational-as much as a murder can be.

I find myself invested in knowing not just the why, but also the end game. If he thought he'd get away, how? And if he didn't care whether he got away, why go to such trouble to do so?

Just had to say this is an interesting post! I like insight and ponderings like this on cases that don't seem (at this point) as predictable as other cases we see.

jmo

 

[Elley Mae]

Which hotel was BT staying in.

 

[Trino]

I still think it was a professional hit, with a lot of planning involved, and more than 1 involved.

If it was a lone person who had lost a relative, partner, child because the company turned down the healthcare claim would he go through so much trouble? an angry person would just turn up at his doorstep and shoot him as he is getting into his car to drive to work, or shoot him outside his office as he was leaving work at head office, doesn’t add up to me, far easier, quicker, cheaper ways of killing him if the killer is just angry with him.

Most likely, he had physical security at his Minnesota home. The area where he lived is spread out with lots of space around, not like citified NYC, which by it's very nature, allows people to integrate and disappear. UHC headquarters, with lots of security, is also in a very open area - would not be easy to disappear or even get away. No bus or train transportation. Next to a freeway.

I don't understand why UHC would publish the schedule of any corporate person. Obviously, it was known he would be in NYC. How was it known where he would be staying unless he was stalked prior to the killing? Wonder why Thompson didn't stay at the Hilton where the conference was being held.

 

[RedSlider]

Arriving 10 days earlier than expected, stopping at Starbucks casually before committing murder, referencing a book via writing words on the bullets, the hyper focus to keep your hood & mask on at all times for that long of a period...except for one moment just to flirt with the receptionist. Describing everything makes it seem more out of a tv movie rather than something that would actually happen in real life yet here we are. Just wild the weird turns this has taken for something that seemed rather straightforward at first.