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

[Warwick7]

I think many people are UNDERestimating the capabilities of LE. We already know the FBI is assisting with the investigation, and I’d be surprised if the US Marshals aren’t assisting as well.

They found Kaitlin Armstrong at an off-the-beaten-path hostel in Costa Rica after she fled the country (and after she had plastic surgery to change her appearance). Burner phones can be traced to their point of sale. Genetic genealogy was utilized to locate and arrest the illegal immigrant from El Salvador (aka “a foreigner”) who killed Rachel Morin — in less than ten months. And LE has 20x the amount of manpower working on this case. Complex investigations often take time, but I have all the confidence in the world they’ll eventually catch up with this guy.

Excellent post!! Bam!!

I remember all to well the finding/arrest of Armstrong.

 

[Inthedetails]

This TJ Maxx bag filled with clothes is interesting. I kept envisioning a plastic bag. Was this paper bag in the backpack? If not, I am very surprised it lasted there that long without being taken by a rando at CP. Also, not sure what the weather was the few days it was there (if it truly was there a few days) but I would expect it to look more "weathered".

We have a no-plastic bag law in NYC (except take-out food, if I recall correctly).

What's odd to me is that we had sleet Thursday morning. It wasn't super heavy, but it was sleet. And it was very windy Thursday. That bag looks fresh. Maybe it was in a sheltered spot, I suppose.

jmo

 

[Gemmie]

Thank you. What is the distinction between investors and shareholders? This is a publicly traded company. Do they have an extra mechanism for gaining investments?

Are you saying that shareholders are not invited for Investment Day?

UnitedHealth Cancels Investor Day After Executive Brian Thompson Is Shot

UnitedHealth Group was scheduled to host its annual Investor Day Wednesday but the event was cancelled following the fatal shooting of its insurance unit CEO.

www.kiplinger.com

If they are not, then more cause for angst and anger. It is surely publicized as exactly what it is: a day for investors to meet and greet the upper echelon of the company.

Was it not announced more generally? Was there security to bar regular investors? If individual shareholders find out about it, one way or another (and I think they would), might they not be irked?

JMO

Investor conferences are for the investment community which is different than shareholders.

UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

UnitedHealth Group to Host 2024 Investor Conference

UnitedHealth Group will host its annual Investor Conference for analysts and institutional investors in New York City on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, beginning at 8:00 a.m. EST.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

This might help how this conference was different than an annual shareholder's meeting:

Investor conferences offer public companies an unparalleled opportunity to gain exposure and enhance their visibility within the investment community. These conferences are typically attended by investors, analysts, fund managers, and other financial professionals who are actively seeking new investment opportunities. By participating in these events, companies can present their business strategies, growth plans, and financial performance directly to a targeted audience, ensuring that their message reaches the right people.

Virtual Investor Conference — Ana Berry | Professional Host based in Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

[Gemmie]

Are you saying that shareholders are not invited for Investment Day?

Correct.

If they are not, then more cause for angst and anger. It is surely publicized as exactly what it is: a day for investors to meet and greet the upper echelon of the company.

I don't think so. They can attend shareholder meetings. Shareholders don't attend Investment Conferences and wouldn't, or shouldn't, be upset about it IMO. They aren't the same kind of meeting.

 

[mrstfs]

We have a no-plastic bag law in NYC (except take-out food, if I recall correctly).

What's odd to me is that we had sleet Thursday morning. It wasn't super heavy, but it was sleet. And it was very windy Thursday. That bag looks fresh. Maybe it was in a sheltered spot, I suppose.

jmo

Is there a tj max near any of the notable locations in this case?

 

[arielilane]

Law enforcement knows the name of the person of interest​

The mayor said on Saturday that law enforcement knows who they are looking for, but don't want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.

"We don't want to release that now. If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are find ... we're seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask," Adams said.

Amid manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooter, NYPD divers return to Central Park lake in search of clues

The manhunt continues for the man captured on surveillance video last week fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

www.cbsnews.com

12/8/2024

 

[warp3dwing]

i do believe they had time to retrieve his sheets/towels before they were laundered. But I think this will fall into the same vacuum ... they will find no dna records of this person.

Ah, thanks. I had not read they got his sheets.

 

[10ofRods]

Investor Conference

Explore UnitedHealth Group's 2024 Investor Conference book for information on our differentiated growth strategy and commitment to our mission to help people live healthier lives and help make the health system work better for everyone.

www.unitedhealthgroup.com

The investor day documents are still available

Yes, and several clicks away - which makes me think that anyone trying to follow the trail of where CEO would be, is intensely devoted to details of this company.

This perp is dedicated. I don't think the shareholders that are upset with UHC are middle of the road. They are activitists, they have research skills. Without going through all the pages, it would seem that the dates for this conference were available to various members of at least three different plans offered by this corporation.

IMO.

Lots of people knew it was going on, even if they didn't have tickets. It's unlikely that an investors' conference would ban members of the general investing public from being outside (say, on the sidewalk).

 

[armchairagatha]

I think many people are UNDERestimating the capabilities of LE. We already know the FBI is assisting with the investigation, and I’d be surprised if the US Marshals aren’t assisting as well.

They found Kaitlin Armstrong at an off-the-beaten-path hostel in Costa Rica after she fled the country (and after she had plastic surgery to change her appearance). Burner phones can be traced to their point of sale. Genetic genealogy was utilized to locate and arrest the illegal immigrant from El Salvador (aka “a foreigner”) who killed Rachel Morin — in less than ten months. And LE has 20x the amount of manpower working on this case. Complex investigations often take time, but I have all the confidence in the world they’ll eventually catch up with this guy.

Won’t be as easy if he escaped to a country that doesn’t extradite or have a treaty with the US. I am guessing this is most of the Middle East and countries like Russia etc.

 

[Columbo Was The Best]

Law enforcement knows the name of the person of interest​

The mayor said on Saturday that law enforcement knows who they are looking for, but don't want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.

"We don't want to release that now. If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are find ... we're seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask," Adams said.

Amid manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooter, NYPD divers return to Central Park lake in search of clues

The manhunt continues for the man captured on surveillance video last week fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

www.cbsnews.com

12/8/2024

I thought this had already been proved to be incorrect and just Adams' own speculation.

 

[JennieM]

NYPD scuba team searching Central Park waters for evidence in UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting​

Police also searched Sunday in Fort Tryon Park and at subway stops near the George Washington Bridge, a senior law enforcement official said. No weapon was found.

The police department’s scuba team was searching for evidence, including the gun used in Thompson's killing, two law enforcement sources said.

The small, elite team is trained specifically in techniques and equipment to recover evidence, the sources said.

Because the waters are likely to be murky, the divers will search in an underwater grid pattern. Their training should also enable them to preserve evidence if it is found underwater, the sources said.

New York police divers search in the area of the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park after they found what is believed to be the gunman's backpack. FNTV

NYPD scuba team searching Central Park waters for evidence in UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting

Police also searched Sunday in Fort Tryon Park and at subway stops near the George Washington Bridge, a senior law enforcement official said. No weapon was found.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Curiousobserver]

Yes, and several clicks away - which makes me think that anyone trying to follow the trail of where CEO would be, is intensely devoted to details of this company.

This perp is dedicated. I don't think the shareholders that are upset with UHC are middle of the road. They are activitists, they have research skills. Without going through all the pages, it would seem that the dates for this conference were available to various members of at least three different plans offered by this corporation.

IMO.

Lots of people knew it was going on, even if they didn't have tickets. It's unlikely that an investors' conference would ban members of the general investing public from being outside (say, on the sidewalk).

I agree, you could be standing outside easily if you wanted to. I have issue with directly targeting BT though since he was only outside for a min or two and far earlier than he needed to be. He could easily have stayed somewhere else, or decided to leave a few minutes earlier. It’s just too perfect.

 

[10ofRods]

Correct.

I don't think so. They can attend shareholder meetings. Shareholders don't attend Investment Conferences and wouldn't, or shouldn't, be upset about it IMO. They aren't the same kind of meeting.

But do they KNOW about the conference? Of course they do. I now know the details of the conference (published well before its actual date). I'm not a shareholder, but I know how to research all kinds of meetings using the resources at my brokerage. Which are immense, btw. Meetings of publicly traded companies that are trying to solicit stock purchases are, I believe, required to be publicly announced.

That's my point. The person who is the perp did not need to attend (have a pass). It's my understanding that people who have organized against this company could easily include people who knew this was a meeting.

They are not upset about the meeting itself - people are upset about the practices of this company (see the Department of Justice filings - it's not just "people," it's also the DoJ who was interested in the practices of this company (some 10 parts to its filings against them?)

Surely stockholders are following along and trying to find many ways to influence. It's the 2020's.

 

[jesse]

It was, as I understand it, a shareholders meeting. Many people buy 1 share of a stock to get closer to the CEO's/other management during those days (sometimes two days). My understanding is that the first day of this shareholder event (all held at the same hotel) was a run up to the second day, which was the formal meet-the-shareholders day.

So all someone has to do to get access to such events is buy 1 share of stock. Further, the crowd gathers and it's not exactly orderly once it starts (this particular company has had its share of protesters).

If the perp came into town 10 or more days earlier, they had quite a bit of time to scope out the itinerary of the CEO of the company they hated (if that was the motivation).

BT's wife told NBC that he had received death threats. I can understand how he decided to simply defy those threats (he was, after all, paid to do exactly that and I am boggled by his actual paycheck). I am also boggled by this company's reported profits and returns to equity share holders. All of this was the subject matter of this "conference." Feelings were heated.

IMO.

It was an institutional investors meeting, not a shareholder meeting.

 

[kamare]

Law enforcement knows the name of the person of interest​

The mayor said on Saturday that law enforcement knows who they are looking for, but don't want to tip him off by announcing his name prematurely.

"We don't want to release that now. If you do, you are basically giving a tip to the person we are find ... we're seeking, and we do not want to give him an upper hand at all. Let him continue to believe he can hide behind the mask," Adams said.

Amid manhunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooter, NYPD divers return to Central Park lake in search of clues

The manhunt continues for the man captured on surveillance video last week fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

www.cbsnews.com

12/8/2024

Isn't the mayor's comment "tipping him off"?

 

[arielilane]

Officials in New York are looking into whether they can find a name used for the Nov. 24 trip. Greyhound has said it is cooperating with authorities on the investigation. Atlanta police officials said Friday they were contacted by the NYPD and will provide assistance as needed.

Three sources told NBC News that police are in Atlanta and will be searching for video from that bus station — as well as other stations along the Greyhound route to New York City — for possible clues.

What we know about UnitedHealthcare CEO's fatal shooting outside NYC hotel

New York police say the person of interest in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson likely has left New York City.

www.nbcnews.com

12/7/2024

 

[Sakura2Sophia4Lucia]

I think many people are UNDERestimating the capabilities of LE. We already know the FBI is assisting with the investigation, and I’d be surprised if the US Marshals aren’t assisting as well.

They found Kaitlin Armstrong at an off-the-beaten-path hostel in Costa Rica after she fled the country (and after she had plastic surgery to change her appearance). Burner phones can be traced to their point of sale. Genetic genealogy was utilized to locate and arrest the illegal immigrant from El Salvador (aka “a foreigner”) who killed Rachel Morin — in less than ten months. And LE has 20x the amount of manpower working on this case. Complex investigations often take time, but I have all the confidence in the world they’ll eventually catch up with this guy.

Excellent post. Very helpful. With all of his careful planning, I've wondered if this guy researched how to obfuscate his fingerprints and planted other people's things (e.g. water bottle in the alley, protein bar wrapper, coat in backpack in CP) with others' DNA and fingerprints to throw LE off-course.

In spite of all of his self-perceived cleverness and extensive planning, I appreciate you reminding us that no matter how careful this guy was, LE has the capability and 20x the usual number of investigators working on this case and they will eventually catch up with this guy.

 

[KaylynnCouture]

Isn't the mayor's comment "tipping him off"?

Yes that’s why it was retracted.

 

[10ofRods]

I agree, you could be standing outside easily if you wanted to. I have issue with directly targeting BT though since he was only outside for a min or two and far earlier than he needed to be. He could easily have stayed somewhere else, or decided to leave a few minutes earlier. It’s just too perfect.

Thank you. It was EASY to find out about this meeting - including for the large number of unhappy people.

I think that the CEO became a symbol - isn't that why assassinations generally are planned or carried out? JFK was not responsible for the things Oswald thought him to be - but was certainly a figurehead for what Oswald opposed (just an example).

It's possible somebody, somewhere, knew that BT had no security detail (had had one earlier? his wife says he had death threats - per NBC, posted several times already).

I think BT was hired to present himself as the cheerful and completely unafraid head of this company (that some people think is monstrous).

IMO.

 

[Rush4087]

Is it? Do ordinary shareholders in a business environment as fraught as this one...not have any information about public meetings of this company?

I ask because I have a brokerage account and was following UHC. The amount of news articles and press releases associated with it is large. I think it's required by law that meetings of investors be publicized in some way (not Brown-acted, maybe, but still press released).

If it's a different audience, then even more reason for the banned shareholders to be upset.

IMO. Trying to get more investors when current investors are upset is not a good look (and that appears to be the case, IMO). Also, I believe NASDAQ requires such attempts to solicit stock (non-retail equities) to be disclosed by press release.

It's a rabbit hole that maybe some WSer might want to go down.

IMO.

Yes, it is different. There is a huge difference between an annual shareholder’s meeting and an investor conference. The United Healthcare team was not trying to “solicit shares” or do anything that would cause current shareholders to lose money or value. Pretty much every publicly traded company holds investor conferences to try to interest investors.

Selling existing company-held shares to institutional investors does not upset current shareholders, as the company is not creating new shares. They are selling existing shares held by the corporation. it happens all the time. It’s not a “bad look”.

Jmo