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submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Summary

Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot in a premeditated attack outside the New York Hilton Midtown before speaking at an investor conference.

The gunman, still at large, fired multiple times, leaving shell casings marked with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”

Authorities suggest Thompson was targeted but remain unclear on the motive. His wife confirmed prior threats against him.

Analysts speculate a possible vendetta tied to his company. The case raises questions about executive security, as Thompson lacked personal protection despite known risks.

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[-] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 265 points 1 week ago

"The motive remains unclear" is one of those things that, as a journalist, you know you have to write because it is absolutely the truth, but you hate yourself for every letter of every word because you know how fucking stupid it sounds given the circumstances.

[-] Railcar8095@lemm.ee 116 points 1 week ago

"I mean, there are millions of people with motive. Which one in particular we will hopefully never know"

[-] ImADifferentBird 28 points 1 week ago

I feel like this is going to end like Murder on the Orient Express, where...

Tap for spoiler... it turns out that literally everyone took turns shooting him.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 64 points 1 week ago

Unless it turns out he was murdered by, for example, an irate shareholder who didn't make the money he wanted to make.

There is more than one reason he could have been murdered.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 30 points 1 week ago

Murder bingo, murder scavenger hunt, time traveler trying to stop the future apocalypse no lack of options....

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Are you really suggesting that only possible realistic motive to murder him is because of his position at UHC?

I can think of so many plausible scenarios. I just gave you one, here's another: he was cheating on his wife, so she paid to have him killed, something that actually happens in the real world and doesn't involved time travelers.

I'm sure you would like this to be a just world where bad people get killed for good reasons, but that's not how the world works. Hitler's generals tried to assassinate him and it wasn't because they thought he was being too mean to the Jews.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 28 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Are you really suggesting

nope, just toying around with the concept, figured it would be about 3/5 on the joke scale.

edit: Though if you really wanted to get into it, the words scribed on the casings might direct you to a likely solution. *

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Or the words on the casings are intended to direct you to the wrong solution. Because, again in the real world, people who commit premeditated crimes throw police off the scent intentionally.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 week ago

Ehh, I think Occam would have the better of that here.

In any case. (no pun intended) Maybe they'll spend a few minutes reflecting on the own mortality while they're ripping us off thinking there's no recourse.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

Ehh, I think Occam would have the better of that here.

Would you say the same about this?

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/10/free-gaza-messages-found-on-devices-at-burned-ballot-boxes-new-york-times-reports.html

People commit crimes and then pin the blame on someone else literally every day. It's like the easiest way to try to get away with a crime.

[-] rumba@lemmy.zip 13 points 1 week ago

The concept of the Razor is that it's a guide to likelyhood. You cannot prove it right or wrong and you certainly can't disprove it with even a substantial list of unrelated cases of false flags.

We're both speaking firmly from conjecture, and neither of us has any substantial evidence.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

We’re both speaking firmly from conjecture, and neither of us has any substantial evidence.

Yes, that was my point.

[-] sepi@piefed.social 12 points 1 week ago

Ah yes. "The murderer must be playing 5d chess to fool people" angle. It's an angle, but not a reasonable one. How much Scooby Doo have you watched?

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

It takes "5D chess" to write vague words on bullet casings?

[-] sepi@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

You did not answer my Scooby Doo question

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[-] Lightor@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Possible vs Probable.

Lots of things are possible, sure, but his position and impact on people due to his position does make one very probable.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I am guessing you do not know enough about him personally to know what is the most probable. Maybe he very openly cheats on his wife. That would make his wife hiring a hit man very probable. Maybe he's swindled someone out of a ton of money on a personal level rather than via UHC. Again, that would make a good motive to kill him.

We do not have enough information here and pretending we do is not very wise.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

He MAYBE fucked around on his one wife causing embarrassment.

He CERTAINLY fucked around with THOUSANDS of people causing DEATH.

It's worthwhile to consider alternatives but it's unwise to paint all scenarios as equally likely.

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[-] Lightor@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

True, it's possible he has numerous enemies.

But what I can say is the average person doesn't have people wanting to kill them. If all things are equal, and given the message written on the casings, there seems to be one that is currently the most probable.

[-] Windex007@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

Obviously there are many plausible scenarios, but one of them scales significantly differently than the others.

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[-] Voroxpete@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 week ago

Absolutely, hence why they do have to say that the motive is unclear. While we all have strong theories about why this happened, there are plenty of other possibilities that have to be considered. Could have been taken out by his family for insurance money, could have been a business rival, the guy might have gotten in shit with the mob. At this point they just don't know.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Exactly. We just don't have enough information yet and it is just silly to assume this is some sort of just world where people behind atrocities that are subsequently murdered are murdered because of those atrocities.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

He wrote Deny, defend, depose on the bullets. That's him speaking the language that the insurance industry uses. I would say that broadly, we know his motive. Who the company denied a claim for is the only real question here.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

As I said to someone else, do you really believe this was done by pro-Palestine activists?

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2024/10/free-gaza-messages-found-on-devices-at-burned-ballot-boxes-new-york-times-reports.html

It is silly to make assumptions based on three words. It's especially silly to assume someone isn't smart enough to make police think they're not the guilty party.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

No I don't think it has anything to do with Palestine, and everything to do with this book

https://delaydenydefend.com/

He switched delay to depose to send a clear message to the insurance industry. That message being, "there's a fourth step that you fuckers have forgotten in your three step strategy."

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Maybe you should have at least read the name of the URL. I didn't say that this has anything to do with Palestine.

Please, if you're not going to read the article, at least read the name of the URL and then respond to me accordingly.

[-] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

I see what you are asking now. I can absolutely see that could be someone who was pro-palestinian setting ballot boxes on fire. It could be a false flag, but I'm not convinced either way.

This guy didn't have a good familiarity with his weapon. If he had test fired before he killed the CEO, he would have known that the spring on the gun was too strong for the ammo he was carrying and been able to swap one of the two out for a cleaner hit. That fact alone pretty much rules out a hired hitman. I'm no hitman, and I have much better familiarity with all my weapons than this guy seems to have had with his.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

You can hire someone who has never fired a gun before in their life to kill someone else. Which is also something that has happened before. People do things like pay their cousins to commit murder. And the person who gets paid can be really, really stupid.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lynnwood-man-gets-life-sentence-for-botched-murder-for-hire/

[-] Skiluros@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

The impression I got from when I lived in the US is that at his level, US oligarchs generally don't like getting their hands dirty and there are strong communal disincentives to disrespecting "honour among thieves" laws. All the oligarchs groups will gang up on you if you use direct violence against another oligarch.

From what I've read, the "mob" in the US largely has no power, definitely nothing on the level of Brian Thompson. Even transnational groups (Mexican cartels, EU gangs, central American gangs) keep a low profile in the US and make a concentrated effort to avoid publicity.

I will admit, family issues is a possibility. Difficult to say. The business rivalry or mob connection doesn't seem even in the realm of possibility, but I could be wrong.

[-] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 week ago

If that were the case writing the words "deny," "defend," and "depose" on the bullet casings was a pretty stupid move, given that it calls attention to the atrocities said shareholder profits from. It seems most likely that the motive is exactly what the bullet casings suggest.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Which is exactly why someone would do it to make the police think it wasn't for another reason.

Really, I have no idea why all of you assume a criminal will say, "yep! It's me!"

[-] Nithanim@programming.dev 2 points 1 week ago

For some very weird reason it never crossed my mind, and I really do not know why, that I could invest in a huge healthcare corporation whose target it is to provide as little healthcare as possible. But your comment made me think about that that is possible to do.

[-] Whitebrow@lemmy.world 26 points 1 week ago

“It is still unclear which of the potential motives caused the man to pull the trigger”

[-] Sabata11792@ani.social 12 points 1 week ago

“deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”

He literally left the manifesto there and they can't figure it out.

[-] Freefall@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

He left "A" manifesto. I have never dealt with his company,but if I was hired to kill him I would most definately make look like a disgruntled parent if a dead kid or some such.

Hopefully he(another common assumption) never gets caught and we never know.

[-] grue@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

Nah, that's a cop out. They could absolutely find somebody speculating on the motive to quote if they wanted to.

[-] HK65@sopuli.xyz 14 points 1 week ago

Yeah, just put a random tweet in like they usually do

[-] ap1werks@sh.itjust.works 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
[-] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

"The motive remains unclear"

Was it him that got denied, or was it a recently deceased family member?

There's several options.

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this post was submitted on 05 Dec 2024
796 points (100.0% liked)

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