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

[arielilane]

A former bodyguard for Thompson revealed that he is in complete disbelief that the CEO didn't have security when he was murdered in the early hours while walking to a work conference.

'He Should Have Had TEN Bodyguards!' Ex-Bodyguard Of Assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Fuels Growing Conspiracy Theories By Asking Why Murdered Insurance Boss Was Out Alone

12/5/2024




The shocking killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this week has shined a light on the security concerns facing corporate leaders and the myriad expenses their companies pay to protect them.

How Much ‘Magnificent 7’ Companies Spend on Protecting Their CEOs

12/6/2024

 

[getthefax]

Have his shoes been ID'ed yet? Seem to have a thicker wedge at the back which reminds me of sock shoes

They have! Adidas Ultraboost, per @polywog

 

[Chimera]

Updated timeline: abbreviated from https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/07/us/timeline-brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-killing/index.html

Sunday, November 24

10:11 p.m. – The suspect arrives in New York at the Port Authority bus terminal ( 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue) via a bus that originated in Atlanta. Gets into a cab that takes him to the vicinity of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel. Stays about half an hour.

11 p.m. – The suspect takes another cab to a hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave. on the Upper West Side.

Friday, November 29 – The suspect checks out of the hostel.

“It’s not your traditional check in, check out. It’s the kind of thing where if you don’t show up at a certain time, they automatically just check you out,” Kenny said. “We don’t believe that he went someplace else. It’s more of an administrative checkout.”

^This explains why he needed to check back in.

Saturday, November 30 – checks back into the hostel.

Monday, December 2 – Thompson arrives in New York

Wednesday, December 4

5:30 a.m. – Suspect leaves the hostel, possibly by bike.

5:41 a.m. – seen wandering around the vicinity of Hilton on Sixth Avenue between West 53rd and 54th Streets, goes back and forth before heading toward a Starbucks.

Around 6:17 a.m. – At Starbucks, shows him buys a bottle of water and two energy bars roughly 30 minutes before the shooting.

6:19 a.m. – video near a deli on West 55th Street shows the suspect walking and briefly stops by a pile of trash. places something.

6:30 a.m. – Around 6:30 a.m., video captures the gunman on the phone.

6:44 a.m. – Thompson, walks toward the Hilton after leaving his hotel across the street. Gunman is waiting outside.
The gunman comes up behind Thompson and shoots him in the back .. then walks toward Thompson and continues to shoot, stopping to clear a gun jam before firing again.

gunman crosses the street from the Hilton, flees northbound through an alley between 54th Street and 55th Street, and gets on an electric bike on 55th Street
heads north on Sixth Avenue toward Central Park.

6:46 a.m. – 911 call of a person shot in front of the Hilton

6:48 a.m. – gunshot wounds to his back and leg... taken to the hospital by EMS.

6:48 a.m- Suspect is seen riding an electric bike into Central Park at 60th Street

6:56 a.m. – Suspect rides out of the park.

6:58 a.m. - Seen on the bike at 85th Street and Columbus Avenue.

7:00 a.m. - He is no longer on the bike and is heading northbound on 86th Street.

7:04 a.m. - The suspect gets into a cab.

7:30 a.m. – Suspect is seen near the George Washington Bridge and a Port Authority bus terminal off 178th Street.
He does not exit

Friday, December 6

backpack found in Central Park that they believe belonged to the suspect

confirming the origin of the bag and tested ongoing

Thanks for posting this time, @whitelilac !

 

[penguinface]

I don’t necessarily think this is what happened, just throwing a possibility out there, but the phone call could possibly have been to BT’s hotel, along the lines of “Hi, it’s Doug calling from the UHC security team. We’ve tried Mr Thompson’s cellphone but he must have kept it on silent and we need him to meet us in the Hilton lobby a little earlier than planned. Can you give him a wake-up call and pass on the message?”

 

[BrianJohnson]

Not that I'm a believer in this theory, but those that feel it could've been a planned suicide might speculate the person on the other end was BT himself.

JMO.

I thought that possible until the shot in the leg bit, If I wanted someone to kill me I would demand I be despatched as quickly and pain free as possible, a leg shot before unloading into the chest prolongs the suffering

 

[helix527]

Any sense of what bus the suspect would have taken from the George Washington bus terminal? Is it just Greyhound and Trailways that serve the station?

The suspect appears to be mixing up his transportation modes to keep the police off his tracks. I wonder if he rode the bus southbound into New Jersey, and then connected with an NJ Transit, SEPTA or Amtrak train, continuing southbound?

 

[K.jill]

I will find it. Might take a little while.

Here is one, not the one I remember. The one I remember was posted here a few times.

 

[getthefax]

Makes me wonder if the shooter wanted to say something to him and that’s why he shot the leg first. It just seems more logical to shoot for the back because it’s the biggest area.

I thought he struck the back first, then the leg, then the back. Did I get this wrong?

 

[Chimera]

Is it a standard that in situations like these we aren’t told about victim’s whereabouts prior? BT got to Lux on Monday for a wed conference.
I would be surprised he wasn’t watched on Monday and Tuesday.
Just wondering why there’s no leaks on what his Monday afternoon/evening and Tuesday looked like. Was he followed ?
And if we hear his killer stayed at Lux that one unaccounted night, honestly I wouldn’t be surprised bc this is such an intriguing case and everything out of a Grisham novel.

Bbm.

Am wondering the same ?
Omo.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Possible. I understand folks fake those kinds of things to avoid social interactions sometimes, but probabilities suggest he was actually on the phone. It's more probable that he was communicating with an accomplice, especially since it turns out this was a burner phone. Why have a burner phone without an accomplice(s)? Setting up a cab? Bus? Then why leave the phone on scene?

But I can see having a phone to 'legitimize' "lurking around".

I know a number of young women who make or fake a call when walking in less than desirable locations....

 

[CamilleBSP]

Disagree, minutes before the assassination he was in Starbucks, what would happen if BT decided to leave his room earlier than he did? the 10 days of planning and all the money wasted, someone was informing him of BT’s movements that morning

I think he felt he would get another chance (BT would probably go back to his hotel the same way he came, on foot and alone) and was getting ready to just be prepared for action at any point in time, not necessarily 5 minutes after getting there.

Unless he didn’t have any specific target and wanted just to shoot someone important, and that BT was this someone was just a coincidence.

 

[99cats]

But surely classmates would have an idea about his appearance. Don't most college also require a student ID with a photo?

Not difficult to roll through those in the records

If Adams was correct, they already know who it is.

But I will say that, outside of maybe 2-3 of my classmates, I couldn't identify the other students I went to grad school with from a grainy photo of a hooded suspect. I also don't feel that this guy is particularly distinct looking - I work with about a dozen men that look similar to him. There's also the potential that some people *do* know who he is (college student or not) and haven't come forward, either do to similar ideology, personal affection, etc.

 

[wibbleflea]

Long time lurker. I don't think enough time and consideration has been given to the video of the suspect talking on a burner phone just prior to the murder. Who was he talking to? If a burner, it is unlikely he was checking in with parents or someone else intimately involved with him. So who does that leave?

JMO.

If he was talking to his future victim on a regular call, it gives us little – both callers' locations were known. If he was talking to an accomplice or informant who was telling him of Brian Thompson's movements, he would definitely have not been using a regular phone app. He'd have been using Signal (or a similar app) that uses data but is encrypted and can be wiped almost instantly. Signal is available for iOS, Android, macOS, etc. To use it for calls, both parties need to have it. It's free.

 

[BrianJohnson]

I think he felt he would get another chance (BT would probably go back to his hotel the same way he came, on foot and alone) and was getting ready to just be prepared for action at any point in time, not necessarily 5 minutes after getting there.

Unless he didn’t have any specific target and wanted just to shoot someone important, and that BT was this someone was just a coincidence.

Lot of risks in that, BT might have felt tired after a long day networking, might well have had a few drinks if there was receptions involved. Good chance imho he would request to be driven back to his hotel

 

[Agatha3]

Probably unpopular opinion, but I’ll share.
I don’t think he was flirting like we think he was. He had to show his face to get the room. I think he knew that.
Makes me wonder if it’s LE tactic to try to rattle him (kinda like tickling the wire) to make him appear stupid and not in control.

The way the media and pundits talk about this flirting moment is telling.
He could have been checking in and going along with the flirting and then she says “let me see your pretty face” as she’s checking his ID, instead of “please pull your mask down so that I can confirm your identity”.
It could be as simple as that.
She’d had to confirm especially since this hostel doesn’t allow guests with residences within a 75 mile radius.

Jmo

Yes not flirting but making a joke of it so as not to sound too authoratitive, or on his part being cross about it. But it doesn’t reveal his hair. The dark eyelashes make us assume he is dark-haired,

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Amazing link, thank you so much. I'm a map geek so i love this!

yes, map and timeline are great.

And, I know someone upthread had questioned why the 5am sighting at Douglas was not noted on the other timeline.
It IS included here.

 

[x_files]

This backpack looks to have been almost gently 'placed' in the ditch and not flung or tossed at speed from a bike.

It's laying flat on its back, and there are no marks in the leaves or soil from where it was thrown or kicked down there in a hurry.

The bag looks like it was laid down like a newborn baby in a crib.

Shocked no one stole it! It's an expensive backpack that could have been resold. Or a homeless person in need could use it.
It's very odd to me.

 

[JDG]

Disagree, minutes before the assassination he was in Starbucks, what would happen if BT decided to leave his room earlier than he did? the 10 days of planning and all the money wasted, someone was informing him of BT’s movements that morning

As I said,no proof of an accomplice.

What ifs do not count, life is full of them. What if I didn’t cross the street before being run over, etc etc

If BT had left earlier, it would have happened elsewhere/bit later but this is a what if & doesn’t hold water.

 

[Jamara3]

I thought that possible until the shot in the leg bit, If I wanted someone to kill me I would demand I be despatched as quickly and pain free as possible, a leg shot before unloading into the chest prolongs the suffering

Yes, and he also seems genuinely surprised by the initial shot. He stumbles and tries to turn around to see what’s happening. If it were planned and he knew it was coming, you’d expect him to maybe bend down onto his knees or something to brace himself. It’s a natural instinct.

 

[CamilleBSP]

Lot of risks in that, BT might have felt tired after a long day networking, might well have had a few drinks if there was receptions involved. Good chance imho he would request to be driven back to his hotel

It’s only half a block and across a street away, though.