NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #5

[JDG]

I'm 54 and I stay in them in Europe sometimes. But in the US, besides traveling students, I hear more about unhoused people or people who are struggling financially, and I imagine folks who need to be in NYC but can't afford the exorbitant cost of a hotel in the city.

The hostels in my town are definitely not for the homeless, struggling financially etc.

Locals are nearby are not allowed to register either.

They are for travellers of any age but you are limited to the number of nights per year.

 

[armchairagatha]

If someone asked you to plot out the perfect crime and youhad to choose between a Minneapolis suburb or Midtown Manhattan. Which would you choose?

How about if your freedom was on the line?

This just doesn’t seem like a paid hit. Not for the person pulling the trigger or for whatever idiot would pay someone to do this. Especially for the payer.

Moo

NYC was chosen for the same reason it was chosen for 9/11. To make a statement on the world stage. Maybe send a warning to UHC and similar companies. It could even be a political statement.

 

[Kapua]

About 65 million tourists come to NYC (Manhattan) a year. So, they spend lots of money there. This was an executive there on business gunned down in a brazen attack. The victim was a CEO for one of the biggest health insurers in the world. Of course, it is going to get a lot of attention.

In the big scheme of things, no life is better than another; however, this could very well affect tourism (and the money it brings to that city).

JMO.

Some murders get more attention in the media than others, and that will never change. I became interested in true crime when Laci Peterson, with her beautiful smile, "disappeared" (was murdered by her husband). I don't know if it got as much attention nationally as it did here in CA, but it was huge here. This case is extremely unusual and people are aghast that it happened in daylight hours in a busy part of NYC and baffled as to why they haven't captured the killer yet. MOO

 

[KaylynnCouture]

yup, think about how many resources were wasted finding it. resources that could have been used to look at more camera footage, talk to more tipsters, etc.

And that was the exact plan because it bought him enough time to get far, far away.

 

[dmac55]

Suspect identified in UnitedHealth executive's murder, New York Post reports | Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/nyc-mayor-says-suspect-identified-unitedhealth-executives-murder-ny-post-reports-2024-12-07/

 

[Synergizer Bunny]

Some murders get more attention in the media than others, and that will never change. I became interested in true crime when Laci Peterson, with her beautiful smile, "disappeared" (was murdered by her husband). I don't know if it got as much attention nationally as it did here in CA, but it was huge here. This case is extremely unusual and people are aghast that it happened in daylight hours in a busy part of NYC and baffled as to why they haven't captured the killer yet. MOO

Laci was nationwide. That's when I started following true crime. Very tragic what happened to her. Another one was Natalee Holloway in Aruba.

JMO.

 

[Blurgle]

There are more than enough Americans who share this sentiment. There is no need to look to foreigners!

No one but an American would target the CEO of a health insurance company.

 

[Kapua]

And that was the exact plan because it bought him enough time to get far, far away.

If he planned his hideout as well as he planned the brutal attack, it may be a while before they find him. My two best guesses are 1) he's abroad and he has dual citizenship and two passports, or 2) he's in a state far, far away from NY. Too many to choose from, but somewhere like Arizona. MOO

 

[NuttMegg]

I think it's the potential implications on the broader society, plus the brazenness of the attack in a popular location being captured on video.

Oh I was being a bit tongue in cheek. I'm ex pat and sometimes things look a little inexplicable, baffling back home. It could be someone who went off after watching that Michael Moore movie. After finding a family member in the same boat. No excuses, but perhaps an explanation.

 

[SlimPickens]

All kinds of symbolism with a veterinary kill gun, labeled bullets, and monopoly money. Every part of this seems as if it was meticulously planned out from start to finish by someone(s), and that he has no plans of getting caught. Laughing at the possibility, even. And so far at least it seems that he may very well be right.

Frankly, I'm not sure that one person could conceive of all of the ideological imagery and innuendo unless he is obsessed about the topic, and if he is obsessed by it then it seems there would likely be folks who would suspect him immediately. Unibomber's brother turned him in as soon as he was able to read the manifesto, for example.

And if this was a personal grievance and not an ideological one, it isn't likely that a game would've been employed here. Personal grievers tend to be more passionate about their specific circumstances and want to keep it intimate (i.e. it tends to be about a specific victim and not making some broad ideological statement).

In any case, just more IMO.

 

[Strong1]

If someone asked you to plot out the perfect crime and youhad to choose between a Minneapolis suburb or Midtown Manhattan. Which would you choose?

How about if your freedom was on the line?

This just doesn’t seem like a paid hit. Not for the person pulling the trigger or for whatever idiot would pay someone to do this. Especially for the payer.

Moo

Wouldn't it be easier to disappear in NYC than a suburb? Also what if the suspect or his family lives in the Minneapolis area? The other reason could be that if this is a murder for hire situation, maybe the person that hired him is from the Minneapolis area.

 

[heykiki831]

a half Iranian friend of mine thinks he is of middle eastern descent

 

[Deleted member 350315]

Full disclosure: I used to work for a NYC tourist-promoting agency. I just want to reassure people that this is not at all typical of the city, so don't be scared to visit! I can't think of a famous person executed in Midtown since the mob days, when Paul Castellano was murdered in front of Sparks Steak House back when I was a young'un in 1985. That's another reason why I think someone was behind this murder. I think this guy was the front for something, whether it's a group protesting the nightmare of U.S. medical insurance, BT knowing he was going to be caught for financial malfeasance, or a marital issue.

You forgot Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the JDL, who in 1990 was murdered by El Sayyid Nosair at the Marriott East Side Hotel, at 48th and Lexington.

 

[Van Helsing]

Agreed. I don’t think they know. The killer felt they wouldn’t find him as long as he got out of NYC. If he’s confident enough to stuff Monopoly money into that backpack, he’s well aware of all the other stuff that initially seemed like mistakes. It’s all part of the show. I don’t know what gives him his confidence but the confidence itself is undeniable.

Maybe LE can use his self-righteous arrogance against him in the manhunt

 

[priyaya]

Wouldn't it be easier to disappear in NYC than a suburb? Also what if the suspect or his family lives in the Minneapolis area? The other reason could be that if this is a murder for hire situation, maybe the person that hired him is from the Minneapolis area.

It used to be but will all the cameras if they cam track you, they will eventually get flagged from facial recognition.

 

[NuttMegg]

a half Iranian friend of mine thinks he is of middle eastern descent

Because of the photo?

 

[mrtnira]

No one but an American would target the CEO of a health insurance company.

Within the broad range of options and outcomes, one that was mentioned earlier was a foreign connection. It is a possibility if this was a murder-for-hire. For example, in recent press reporting Iran contracted the Canadian Hell's Angels to have a local kill someone on an Iranian hit list in the U.S.

Considering the nature of high finance, there is no telling what the spiderweb of connections looks like at this time. The percentage chance of this is very low, but it remains within a spectrum of potentials. People follow patterns.

The pattern in this example is an external entity hires a third party national to contract out the hit in a separate country. It can be nations, or businesses, or criminal networks outsourcing the work. The pattern is an established one. European mafia hits follow this pattern pretty regularly. However, again, the percentage chance of this is low. (Recent example: Iranian hired Hells Angel to kill defector, US says.)

 

[wibbleflea]

No one but an American would target the CEO of a health insurance company.

What about a non-US group intending to create outrage, scare people, divide society and dominate the news? The wider goal would be to create unease and discontent within the US.

 

[DancingMuse]

Does anyone have thoughts on how he planned the escape bus/car/whatever? Going off everything else he planned for, he likely knew he’d be on camera again at some point, no?

Hi VAres67,
That is an interesting question.

How did he plan his escape? And how did he execute it so cleanly and quickly?

Accomplice Version: (I don't believe he had an accomplice, but humor me.)

His accomplice is also a "cab driver" in this scenario. Or, if you will, "the" Cab Driver (maybe, every time) in this 10 day excursion. His accomplice is also his good friend who is helping him with every important transition. Both the perp and the "Cab Driver" have burner phones and/or Signal.

Yellow Cabs sit outside ritzy hotels all the time, waiting for a fare. This "Cab Driver" was in front of BTs hotel on that morning because they both know what BT looks like. CD calls the perp on a burner phone as soon as BT (wearing distinctive Blue jacket) steps out of the hotel.

The CD is also the one to drive the perp back to the hostel that day he "automatically checked out", or spent the night elsewhere. So, Where were they that evening? Together, finalizing all the plans, in some town in Northern New Jersey (Fort Lee, Leonia, etc.) where the Cab Driver lives. They were writing on the shell casings with sharpie pens, too, etc.

Immediately, after the homicide, the perp does his thing driving through Central Park and dropping the bookbag.

CD and the perp have a place, pre-determined, (out of view of any surveillance), where the perp will get off the bike, he then walks a short distance to the street, "hails a cab", and you-know-who is right nearby; and CD picks him up. They pop the bike in the trunk, and this way : the perp can keep his gun and his bike.

At the GWB Bus Terminal: Perp gets out of the cab, goes into the Terminal (on the ground level). Accomplice-CabDriver drives around the block for a few minutes, and eventually drives up onto the ramp to get onto to the 2nd Floor bus level platforms, and then pick ups the perp (who has maybe changed his appearance a little in the bathroom) and they drive over the bridge together back to the cab driver's residence.

Obviously, This entire theory falls apart if LE already have identified and talked to ALL the cab drivers in the videos shown, and LE know that they are NOT involved at all.

Why do I think the accomplice might be "the" cab driver?

Because, The Perp is into CONTROL. He meticulously planned this. He can't call Uber because of no CC. The Perp is not going to suffer the indignity of not being able to call a cab in the middle of Manhattan because he is all hooded-up, and with his mask on. He can't waste a SINGLE SECOND getting out of town when he has to. He is averse to pulling down his mask.

So, The Perp's transportation has to be really reliable, and on call at any moment. The perp is not going to risk having to wait for a few cabs to drive by who don't want to pick up an athletic, young guy in a mask.

(moo.)

 

[Vegasgrl]

The hostels in my town are definitely not for the homeless, struggling financially etc.

Locals are nearby are not allowed to register either.

They are for travellers of any age but you are limited to the number of nights per year.

I've been very curious about how he made the reservation and the usual deposit required at hostels. You can pay in cash when you arrive, but surely he needed a reservation during holiday season in NYC for that many days. I only hope for that (walk-in luck) in off-season travel. Even with less than a 24hr reservation they will require a deposit , or even full payment. If this was crucial to his plan, he had a reservation made way ahead. How was the deposit paid? The whole reason he chose the hostel was no CC needed on file. Cash payment.