New York: Puzzle of clues in the Thompson murder case

UnitedHealthcare is part of the largest commercial health insurance group in the USA, UnitedHealth, and is listed on the stock exchange. Thompson has been CEO since 2021. He was shot by an unknown person in front of a hotel in New York’s Manhattan district on Wednesday morning (local time). A surveillance camera recorded the crime. The police also released an image from another surveillance camera that is said to show the suspect. According to a report by the US TV channel CNN on Friday, this is considered a possible “key indicator”.

The police now suspect that the suspect has left New York. Investigators have reason to believe so, police officer Jessica Tisch told CNN. According to AFP, police assume that the suspected perpetrator fled the city on a bus. A police spokesman said on Friday that the shooter was recorded by cameras entering a bus station in a northern part of Manhattan after the crime. Dozens of connections lead from the bus station at the George Washington Bridge to other US states, as can be read on the operator’s website.

Puzzles about motive

According to the New York Times, the focus of the investigation late Thursday (local time) was on the days before the fatal shots. The man, whose identity remains unknown according to police, is said to have arrived by bus on November 24th, probably from Atlanta (Georgia). Shortly afterwards he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side. He is said to have left on November 29th and returned the next day.

New York investigators were also interested in a gun purchased in the state of Connecticut that was believed to have been used in Thompson’s murder, the US newspaper said. It is a pistol. The police now assume that the crime was targeted, but have not yet provided any information about a possible motive.

Revenge was suspected, perhaps because of rejected claims to the insurance company. Thompson’s widow, Paulette Thompson, reported threats against her husband after the crime, but was unable to provide any details. Twelve hours after his death, there was said to have been a bomb threat against Thompson’s family.

Photos and maybe even DNA traces

On Thursday the police released two photos that are said to show the suspect. It shows a man wearing a hooded jacket, laughing. The perpetrator was masked with a hood and scarf when he shot Thompson. The pictures were said to have been taken in front of the hostel where the man had checked in, but when is unknown, the New York daily wrote.

The police have now offered a reward of $10,000 (just under 9,500 euros) for information about the perpetrator. (DNA) traces on an empty water bottle, the packaging of a protein bar, a false ID and a cell phone found on the sidewalk would be examined.

Video footage from surveillance cameras shows Thompson on the sidewalk in front of the Hilton Hotel in Midtown before the crime when a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt approaches from behind and shoots him several times with a pistol. He was on his way to an investor conference.

“Deny, reject, defend”: cryptic message

Cartridges or cartridge cases found at the crime scene are puzzling investigators. These words were engraved, according to the New York Police Department. These are the words “deny”, “depose” and “defend” – terms that are often used by insurance companies to deny claims from insured parties. The investigative team suspects that the shooter wanted to leave some kind of message, wrote the New York Post.

According to the New York Times, the masked gunman used a silencer and gave the impression of being an experienced shooter. Surveillance footage shows the man waiting for his future victim in front of the luxury hotel. As Thompson emerged, he fired several shots at close range. Even when his gun jammed, the man didn’t lose his calm, but instead put the gun back in order and shot Thompson again. He later died from his injuries in a hospital.

Escape by e-bike

After the attack, the perpetrator ran into an alley, jumped on an e-bike and rode to Central Park, as surveillance cameras captured. Before the crime, the man had gone just a few minutes from the hotel, bought a coffee, a bottle of water and two protein bars. The New York Police Department released a photo of the masked suspect standing in a Starbucks.

A CNN report that he dropped the bottle of water as he fled was also confirmed. In addition, the phone was seized near the crime scene and, like the bottle, is now being examined for traces and may have belonged to the perpetrator. Investigators tried to get clues about his identity through his journey to New York by Greyhound bus. When checking into the hostel, the man probably used a fake ID card from the state of New Jersey, it was said on Friday.

UnitedHealth has 440,000 employees and recently achieved annual sales of $371 billion (around €352 billion). Thompson has worked for the UnitedHealthcare subsidiary for 20 years and has been at its helm since 2021.