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

[Inthedetails]

I agree with both of you. I won’t lie originally was fully on board with murder for hire… not professional hitman but someone with a clear grudge out for vengeance against UHC or BT himself willing to pay someone to murder him.

Now… with the added “games” “messages” and evidence left behind… along with mistakes made… hard to imagine the killer working for others leaving behind all of this.

Moo.. I Do believe he had help in some way.

Moo… I’d guess a woman. Specifically for the purpose of getting out of the city. Everyone is looking for him solo or with another male unknown suspect.

A couple together after 10 days solo would make it much harder to isolate spot him on surveillance and add another layer of protection in the escape aspect.

They have his DNA, if I recall correctly. LE knows if the killer is a man or woman.

If I'm wrong about the DNA, correct me. There are a lot of posts to remember.

jmo

 

[priyaya]

Tommy Hilfiger USA, Inc. This is intentional imo.

why Tommy?

 

[Van Helsing]

Another thought about people supporting this murderer simply because of who he killed...

Well when the copy cat crimes start because people think they will get this same level of notoriety, I hope the target isn't anyone closer to home. What if it's someone you (hypothetical you) know and love that is targeted because their job doesn't align with someone else's idea of how things should go?

Right. The morals of the day seem to change like the wind. In the 1970s nuclear power was demonized. Now it's our path to a green future and companies like Alphabet are considering it.

 

[Stargazer90]

Seems like he might be on his way to becoming a "folk hero" (see NYTimes gift article linked below):

In Grim Twist, Some Root for Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing

Infuriating.

JMVHO.

He is only a "hero" to dumb sheeplets. There is no shortage of those.

 

[ChrisM]

This is exactly my thoughts!

or symbolic of what everyone has left after their dealings with med insurance and med bills

 

[soap mama]

This confirms what I've been think all along.

This is an anticorporatist, anti-capitalist, idealistic radical guy.
One of their rallying cries is "break up the monopolies!!"

Sure he may have known someone with bad experiences with UHC, but he probably read about "millions of bad experiences" with "evil, greedy, monopolistic UHC". UHC has had quite the reputation recently. A decade ago, it was financial institutions.

It's NYC, the financial capital of the US.
It's Christmas where consumers are spending and Rockefeller (can you say monopoly??) Center is nearby.
It's Medicare enrollment time when news of "evil Medicare advantage plans" pop up on message boards and SM.
It's also the time, when TV's had the Medicare Advantage ads ad nauseum.


Monopoly money says it all.........

Sorry to be snarky.....I'm quoting some of the things I read online. This guy just wants "the glory" as some type of "robin hood" or similar folk hero among his "peers". He seems to be on the path to terrorism.

Yet he had a backpack that was almost $300 and some nice clothes. Typical hypocrite.

 

[99cats]

Maybe he sees himself/his actions as being domestic terrorism or serial killing in that he could be planning more? If he's backed by or from a specific group, maybe they are planning more? Like he or they have the world's attention now & maybe plan to continue/escalate from here? (I have no idea what that might look like, if he/they would confine it to a particular company, or industry, or businesses in general, or businesses perceived as monopolies, etc.) Or maybe he/they won't be able to carry out more but the initial plan was to continue with other victims (hence leaving a calling card like Monopoly money).

Just musing aloud.

It's possible. I, personally, don't believe he'll stop unless he's caught. I keep wondering if this guy views himself as some sort of savior and as the judge, jury, and executioner.

 

[ElizaKate]

Any thoughts on Tommy Hilfiger jacket? Anyone? TIA

I did do a news search on the company and it's parent company PVH Corp to see if it was another 'message' but nothing from what I could initially see (before taking myself into a hole anyway).

 

[nao]

I'm very disheartened by seeing lots of support on social media for this killer.

Regardless of how callous, or greedy, or shady people perceive insurance companies to be, any wrongdoing should be held in a trial, not murder. As someone said before, we live in a civilized society.

I feel for the victim's family, and want this person to be caught. Murder is not justified against a man walking down a street, whether he is a CEO or a random civilian.

Just my two cents.

Moo...so like your local drug dealer ..who's destroying your family..do you see as a victim if shot? It is about money. How many people they break, dosnt really matter what business they are in. The results are the same....moo

 

[vls12345]

Why does he/they find it necessary to murder people? Statements can be made with a lot of publicity and press in other fashions. Mass demonstrations, from city to city, letters, manifestos to the press, using social media outlets, publicizing multiple cases where people have been gravely hurt by these insurance corporations, etc. Other ways to get public attention. It's done with environmental issues etc.

But look at the publicity result of this murder. I didn't know there was some sort of demonstration at UHC headquarters months ago, protesting them & their practices. But I sure realize it now -- only because of this brazen murder & the public response since then.

We're in the land of reality tv (highly scripted & edited) which, weirdly, seems to be bleeding into "real", everyday life. Bigger, more outrageous, one-upping anything that has already been done....

Imo.

 

[BackInNewMexico]

i sense this is a personal one-off event. i may be completely wrong of course but i thing this is retribution by a clever, clear thinking, new-to-the-business but nothing-to-lose novice murderer. he may have weapons experience, he may have military killing experience, but i sense he's making (to him) an important statement, not making a career of it... imo

Probably a stretch but I read the history of Monopoly. Created by a left-wing woman and Hasbro (huge corporation) essentially stole the idea and gave her no credit. I wonder if the shooter does have a personal vendetta that maybe isn’t ‘insurance’ focused but something else. Not getting credit for something, feeling unseen/unimportant. People can take climbing the corporate ladder very serious.

Who knows! I learned something new about Monopoly today anyway

The secret history of Monopoly: the capitalist board game’s leftwing origins

In 1903, a leftwing feminist called Lizzy Magie patented the board game that we now know as Monopoly – but she never gets the credit. Now a new book aims to put that right

www.theguardian.com

 

[clearskies1]

I think the monopoly money is a reference to the antitrust claims against UHC -- claims that the company is illegally creating a monopoly. BBM:

"Multiple senior executives at UnitedHealthcare have been under investigation by the Department of Justice, though it is not clear if CEO Brian Thompson was part of that investigation before his murder ....

There were reports that the executives were accused of insider trading and fraud, and last year the DOJ launched a probe into whether the nation’s largest insurer was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly."

DOJ launched probe into UnitedHealth for insider trading and attempted to stop monopoly

Multiple executives at UnitedHealthcare were under investigation by the Department of Justice for insider trading and fraud when CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[mrtnira]

I've wondered once in a while if he actually has an alibi that he has created at his dwelling, where electronically it looks like he is at home and never left? "That guy only looks like me. I've been here the whole time." It sounds odd, but with AI and computer programming, it might be well within the skill set of a trained individual to create a parallel record of activity somewhere else.

 

[priyaya]

Barrel, breech lock and firing pin have to be metal.

And as long as you're not creating a model that currently exists most states (more than half) don't care. The majority of 3d gun printing laws either require you register them with the state or that all parts be assigned serial numbers and registered.

Edit: not that a perp like this would care.

they just need a gaint magnet

 

[Stargazer90]

I think the monopoly money is a reference to the antitrust claims against UHC -- claims that the company is illegally creating a monopoly.

"Multiple senior executives at UnitedHealthcare have been under investigation by the Department of Justice, though it is not clear if CEO Brian Thompson was part of that investigation before his murder.

Thompson was gunned down in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning in what police are calling a targeted attack.

There were reports that the executives were accused of insider trading and fraud, and last year the DOJ launched a probe into whether the nation’s largest insurer was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly.

Last month, the DOJ along with attorneys generals from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey and New York filed a lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group Incorporated’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of rival home health and hospice provider Amedisys Inc."

DOJ launched probe into UnitedHealth for insider trading and attempted to stop monopoly

Multiple executives at UnitedHealthcare were under investigation by the Department of Justice for insider trading and fraud when CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday.

www.foxbusiness.com

And BT might have been about to make a plea deal and reveal who in the government helped UHC become a monopoly.

 

[vls12345]

I've wondered once in a while if he actually has an alibi that he has created at his dwelling, where electronically it looks like he is at home and never left? "That guy only looks like me. I've been here the whole time." It sounds odd, but with AI and computer programming, it might be well within the skill set of a trained individual to create a parallel record of activity somewhere else.

That is a really good point. And viable I think.

 

[MassGuy]

I've wondered once in a while if he actually has an alibi that he has created at his dwelling, where electronically it looks like he is at home and never left? "That guy only looks like me. I've been here the whole time." It sounds odd, but with AI and computer programming, it might be well within the skill set of a trained individual to create a parallel record of activity somewhere else.

Good luck explaining your DNA all over items connected to the murder though.

 

[Jamara3]

why? Tommy?

Because the brand itself is a celebration of American culture. It’s very well known for incorporating the American flag imagery across their clothing lines. The logo and colors. It screams Americana. The official name is Tommy Hilfiger USA, inc. The overarching themes of American capitalism are permeating throughout the details.

 

[99cats]

Why does he/they find it necessary to murder people? Statements can be made with a lot of publicity and press in other fashions. Mass demonstrations, from city to city, letters, manifestos to the press, using social media outlets, publicizing multiple cases where people have been gravely hurt by these insurance corporations, etc. Other ways to get public attention. It's done with environmental issues etc.

I agree with you that there's other ways (more productive and efficient methods) of making a statement, but ideological killings are nothing new. I keep seeing parallels between this murder and some of the murders committed by the Red Army faction - those accomplished nothing, but multiple members of the RAF thought they had a moral high ground while committing assassinations. I think this might, unfortunately, be a new iteration of these ideological killings; and I'm afraid that they'll be copycats, supporters, etc.

 

[CityKid]

Right, I’m not disagreeing. But people glaze over the actual victim and go right to “someone got revenge against the hated insurance provider”.

I get the concept of "cutting off the head of the hydra." But this company will just find a new head. I can only hope this leads to a wider discussion of U.S. health care and a system that disenfranchises so many,