Hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer begins ‘close to home’: live updates
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The search for Brian Thompson has entered its third day, as the NYPD continues to hunt for a mystery man who executed the UnitedHealthCare CEO in midtown Manhattan.
Thompson, 50, was gunned down in the early hours of Wednesday as he was on his way to an investor conference at the New York Hilton. His unidentified assassin remains on the loose but cops have released a photo of him smiling and have searched a Manhattan hostel where he’s believed to have stayed.
Cops looking into Brian Thompson’s murder will be looking at the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s inner circle in Minnesota as they hunt for his killer, according to retired FBI Agent Scott Duffey
‘Start with the inner circle,’ Duffey told Fox News.
‘This is a whodunit murder on a public block in one of the largest cities in the world… [but] if you run on the premise that it’s targeted, you don’t have to worry about all your common thief, robbers on the street who are looking to take advantage of someone…
‘if you’re looking at a targeted individual, start small, with family – what’s the family situation?’
At the time of the killing, Thompson, 50, and his estranged wife Paulette had been living in separate homes that are less than a mile apart in suburban Maple Grove, Minnesota.
His wife Paulette, a practicing physical therapist, disclosed that her husband had previously received threats. She referenced a ‘lack of coverage.’
Who was Brian Thompson?
Thompson was the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance wing of parent company UnitedHealth Group Inc.
He had worked at the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company for two decades and led its insurance division since 2021. He was one of the company’s highest-paid executives, with a $10.2 million annual compensation package.
Thompson kept a low profile, with UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s CEO Andrew Witty taking on a more public-facing role that included testifying before Congress.
Thompson started his career as a certified public accountant and graduated from the University of Iowa. He lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove and was the married father of two sons in high school,
A look at the first 24 hours following Brian Thompson’s killing
The cryptic meaning of message written on the assassin’s bullets
The words scrawled on the bullets used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson closely resemble the title of a book criticizing insurance companies and the tactics they use to deny claims, it has been revealed.
Curiously, the messages bear similarity to the title of a 2010 book on ‘why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it’, called ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’.
Critics allege the tactic is used by insurance companies to ‘ensure your claim is either never paid or paid at a rate far below what you deserve’.
CEO was facing a DoJ investigation and lawsuit when he was killed
Last year the DoJ launched a probe into whether the private company of the nation’s biggest insurer, led by Thompson, was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly.
In May, the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund initiated a complaint against Thompson and other executives, accusing the CEO of failing to tell investors about the federal probe before he unloaded over 31 percent of his stock, taking in $15.1 million in proceeds.
In legal documents, the fund said Thompson and other company execs sold over $117 million worth of UnitedHealth common stock during the four-month period when insiders knew about the federal antitrust investigation but the public did not.
Thompson had security detail for NYC trip but was alone when shooter pounced
Thompson had an in-house security team assigned to him for his stay in Manhattan, but they were not with him when he was shot dead as he walked to the company’s annual investor conference at a Hilton hotel in Midtown, a source told CNN.
It’s the norm for major health care companies to assign personal security to their top executives.
Timeline of the gunman’s movements
Killer arrived in NYC 10 days before murder
The unidentified killer rode a bus from Atlanta to New York City 10 days before he shot Thompson dead, arriving in Manhattan on November 24, according to CNN.
He reportedly spent his days bouncing around the city, and even visited the Hilton hotel days before the killing.
The suspect used a fake ID from New Jersey to check into a hostel in the Upper West Side. He paid in cash.
He checked out of the hostel on November 29 before checking back in on November 30.
Assassination triggers outpouring of hate directed at health insurance industry
The assassination of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson has triggered tasteless celebrations and bad taste support for the gunman who killed him.
Thompson was shot outside the Hilton Hotel in Manhattan on Wednesday morning by a masked assassin, who remains on the run and whose motive has not been disclosed.
As news of the cold-blooded killing spread, thousands declared they were happy at news of the horrific killing of the 50 year-old father of two and even cooed over the murderer’s apparent good looks.
Thompson was separated when he was murdered
Thompson purchased the $1million home near his family home in 2018, according to public records, with neighbors telling the Journal that he spent much of his time traveling.
How killer’s flirtatious moment helped cops in their hunt
A hostel clerk had a brief flirty moment with the suspected shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson which handed authorities bombshell evidence by getting a better look at the assailant.
The staff member told CNN that she had asked the gunman to lower his mask while flirting with him as he checked into the HI New York City Hostel in Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
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