NY - UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson fatally shot in Midtown. #6

[ivyvanmad]

When did BT arrive in NYC? I wonder if he went to that same Starbucks, possibly a few times during his time there. Seems like the shooter would have had to do some dry runs, some kind of preemptive planning in this area where the shooting took place, and also a walk through of his escape with the purposeful shedding of ‘evidence’. If there was a burner phone makes me think there were at least two people working together? Or was the phone just a red herring… Was someone else following BT and updating the shooter? This whole crime seems very dramatic and theatrical, lots of room for fantastical thinking (what if there was someone following BT, followed him to the Starbucks and collected his trash the day before.. the discarded water bottle comes back with BT’s DNA).

 

[Agatha3]

yes but usually if they have a name they release it. granted, maybe in this case they have their reasons not to, but that would be unusual

Perhaps they want to get him alone so he can’t take a hostage.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

When did BT arrive in NYC? I wonder if he went to that same Starbucks, possibly a few times during his time there. Seems like the shooter would have had to do some dry runs, some kind of preemptive planning in this area where the shooting took place, and also a walk through of his escape with the purposeful shedding of ‘evidence’. If there was a burner phone makes me think there were at least two people working together? Or was the phone just a red herring… Was someone else following BT and updating the shooter? This whole crime seems very dramatic and theatrical, lots of room for fantastical thinking (what if there was someone following BT, followed him to the Starbucks and collected his trash the day before.. the discarded water bottle comes back with BT’s DNA).

BT arrived on 12/2 (Monday). Not sure what time.

Completely agree with your thoughts here. I've always maintained I think there's one other person involved. Obviously not to this extent, but even something like "hey, stand in the lobby of BT's hotel and call my phone with a code word when you see him leaving."

 

[Inthedetails]

Random thought: if Brian T. had been wearing a bulletproof vest he may have survived
While it is not likely he would wear one regularly (heavy and hot) it is not outside the realm of possibility he would wear one of he had been getting threats.

Now that the public approves of assassins, as evidenced by showing support of this killer, it might become standard for CEOs to wear vests and then anyone working in an industry that others don't approve of, and then...on and on.

Lovely.

jmo

 

[Data Sleuth]

Catching up to a fast moving thread...........has there been any public statement or interview with the woman he was seen flirting with, pulling his mask aside, checking into the hostel?

The flirting myth was perpetuated by the media.

 

[K.jill]

I think if he felt compelled to wear a vest, then he'd be compelled to have security with him. This guy would have been quickly neutralized if the latter was present, especially considering the type of weapon he was using. This was really the only situation where a gun like that would be effective (no security).

I wonder if the shooter would have taken the shot if BT had security with him.

 

[Baba O'Riley]

I think he's wearing 2 masks in both those taxi photos, the more I look at them. Layered, just like his hat & hoodie.

Absolutely he is. If you look at the taxi photo you can make out the outline of the dark gaiter mask underneath the medical mask.

 

[Starkville]

Body armor is illegal in NY. State Penal Law Section 270.21: § 270.21

Was going to chime in with this. Thank you for bringing receipts. One of my kids is a paramedic in a major upstate city, and allowed to wear a bulletproof vest while working. IIRC, first responders with certifications are exempt from this prohibition.

 

[eddie_van]

The flirting myth was perpetuated by the media.

yeah they wanted to push a story about how he's so dumb he flirted with a girl and that will be his undoing.

 

[Inthedetails]

The flirting myth was perpetuated by the media.

Along with a photo of a charming smile.

jmo

 

[KaylynnCouture]

First we've heard where in the hostel he stayed:

Sources said the gunman arrived in the city after taking a bus from Atlanta several days ago. The New York City Police Department was seen searching the fourth floor of the hostel, including the bathrooms, for evidence.

https://kfor.com/news/suspect-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-used-fake-id-at-hostel-sources/

 

[Warwick7]

this is true. we have no verification whatsoever that he boarded a bus.

"NYPD officials said they believe the suspect left New York City on an interstate bus, the same mode of transportation investigators believe he used to get to the city days earlier."

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/08/us/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-gunman-search-sunday/index.html

 

[Inthedetails]

First we've heard where in the hostel he stayed:

Sources said the gunman arrived in the city after taking a bus from Atlanta several days ago. The New York City Police Department was seen searching the fourth floor of the hostel, including the bathrooms, for evidence.

https://kfor.com/news/suspect-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-used-fake-id-at-hostel-sources/

The Danish guest from the hostel said it was the 4th floor a few days ago!

jmo

 

[10ofRods]

Even if it isn't, there's still the water bottle, the phone, his room is likely to be a goldmine, and that abandoned backpack that we know he was using. Some reports even say that they found DNA on the rounds themselves.

I have no doubt they have his DNA.

The problem (legally) with that room is that it probably contains DNA from lots of people - many of them male.

The jumbled nature of the DNA in a hostel will allow the defense (this guy is thinking ahead) to claim that it could have been any one of another people staying there at about that time. Hostel records are important, but the prosecutors would be in the weird position of trying to show that it was recent guests' DNA along with perp DNA (which, btw, no one has so far, so isn't going to lead us).

These sound like stalling tactics, but they are definitely going to slow things down. Let's say there are 20 partial male profiles in that hostel room (not at all a crazy estimate - could be way more).

The FBI has to run all of them. It's not like the Idaho Four crime scene, where there were only a few profiles (as far as we know - only one that was at the actual crime scene). The JonBenet case offers us some Asian dna and maybe one stranger profile. The Suzanne Morphew case offers us stranger DNA in the glove compartment of her vehicle.

These things confound investigations, but they also allow for defenses not otherwise possible.

I really think this perp is playing off all of that.

And to avoid extra posts: Hilfinger jackets are not super expensive. (Not directed at you, MassGuy).

IMO.

 

[eddie_van]

"NYPD officials said they believe the suspect left New York City on an interstate bus, the same mode of transportation investigators believe he used to get to the city days earlier."

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/08/us/brian-thompson-unitedhealthcare-gunman-search-sunday/index.html

I think they are assuming he took a bus because they have no footage of him leaving the bus station. However, it is unclear which bus he took. I agree with the other poster who said he probably wasn't waiting around for 6 hours to take the Atlanta bus.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

They should have video of him at the subway station, with his eBike.

https://kfor.com/news/suspect-in-unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-used-fake-id-at-hostel-sources/

The suspect was also caught on video getting off the F train at the 57th Street subway station before the shooting.

 

[NuttMegg]

Dbm

 

[KaylynnCouture]

The Danish guest from the hostel said it was the 4th floor a few days ago!

jmo

I missed it! The threads move so fast.

 

[Jinkasaurus]

Someone on the last thread posted a link to a video on Fox which was a short interview with a male ( who appeared African-American, or African heritage) who was on the block at the time of the shooting. If anyone can share that link again, I think it would be helpful to hear his comments.

 

[10ofRods]

I'm not suggesting he committed the perfect crime, but he is almost smarter than you're giving him credit for.

How do you know he drank from that bottle, and that it's his?
Similarly, why do you think he used that particular phone (he could have had two and kept the one that touched his face)

I'm very confident he took precautions to avoid leaving DNA behind him. And he is playing with the police.

I think he used any one of a number of methods that made his fingerprints useless. The e-bike must surely have the dna of many people; same for the hostel room. If the water bottle is a decoy, then no gain for the investigation, same with phone.
'
I too think he took precautions to avoid leaving unmixed DNA behind. Mixed DNA is on his side, as well. Lots of thoughts on that.

IMO.