THE suspect who allegedly murdered an insurance company CEO may have put on a show to ensure his message was received.
As investigators continue to analyze evidence related to the December 4 murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Dr. Leslie Dobson, a clinical and forensic psychologist, shared insights on the suspect’s behavior in an interview with The U.S. Sun.
“Individuals who carry out these crimes are comfortable, usually because of training but also the high level of focus needed to complete the task,” Dobson said, explaining why the killer appeared so calm in the harrowing surveillance footage of the shooting.
At about 6.45 am on December 4, the suspect approached Thompson from behind outside the Hilton Hotel in the heart of New York City.
The suspect had both his hands on the gun when he fired, striking the CEO in the leg and back.
He then took a few steps down the street before fleeing first on foot and then on a bike.
Thompson, set to speak at a massive investor’s conference being held at the hotel, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
What we know…
- The killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson remains at large as the manhunt enters its third day.
- Security camera images of a smiling man wearing a hooded jacket have been released, while a fake ID, cellphone, and DNA sample have reportedly been found.
- The killer pulled down his face mask while flirting with a hotel receptionist.
- Cops believe the assassin used a rare “World War Two spy gun” fitted with a silencer to kill Thompson.
- The killer fled into Central Park on a bike wearing a backpack, but was later spotted leaving without it.
- He arrived in New York last month after boarding a Greyhound bus that originated in Atlanta.
- Terrified CEOs are stepping up their security in the wake of the killing over fears of copycat assassination attempts.
- A $10,000 reward for any information about the killing is being offered by police.
The suspect has since fled New York City, cops said, sparking a nationwide manhunt as cops try to pinpoint the suspect’s identity and location.
Dobson spoke generally of people who can commit such a heinous crime.
“Likely psychopathic, a hit man already has a lack of remorse, guilt, and a shallow range of emotions. It takes something very emotional to alter them, such as a loved one dying,” Dobson explained.
“The other view may be the individual is not a psychopath but is enraged and seeing a very precise conclusion.”
But in her expert opinion of this particular crime, that “seems unlikely because of the level of planning involved in the assassination and his smiling affect prior to the assault.”
The alleged gunman was seen smirking on surveillance footage captured at the HI New York City Hostel on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where he is believed to have stayed before the shooting.
While the yet-unidentified man had a mask pulled up over most of his face in other surveillance images, he was reportedly flirting with an employee at the hostel, prompting him to reveal his whole face.
‘FOR SHOW?’
Dobson picked up on a few other crucial details after reviewing the footage of the brazen slaying.
She said the suspect “appeared familiar with weapons, but not enough to be a military or FBI sniper,” and guessed he might be self-trained.
Dobson noted the movements of the suspect and how it appears he “didn’t anticipate the stickiness of the weapon after the third shot, and that may be related to the homemade suppressor.
“It appears to me that he paused with the idea of checking to see if he had killed the person, but he no longer trusted his weapon, so he thought about the action for a second, then decided to flee.”
But she also raised the possibility that “the problems with the weapon were for show”.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said that it appeared “that the gun malfunctions, as he clears the jam and begins to fire again” before fleeing.
However Dobsoon said: “It seems more likely that he wanted to [ensure] each bullet landed correctly because he had engraved them, so he racked the slide each time in order to prevent a misfire.”
The engraved messages she’s referring to are the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” found on the unspent live rounds and shell casings.
Investigators made the discovery while evaluating evidence at the crime scene.
Timeline of Brian Thompson’s murder
BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing, and a desperate search is underway for his assassin.
Here is everything we know about Thompson’s murder so far.
Monday, December 2 – Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan.
Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am – Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter. The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin.
11:30 am – Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out.
12:00 pm – Thompson’s estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot.
2:45 pm – Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it’s unclear when he stopped by.
December 5, 6 am – Reports claim the words “deny,” “dispose,” and “defend” were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports.
8 am– Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It’s believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there.
11 am – A person of interest in Thompson’s murder is pictured. He’s wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation.
Afternoon – Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It’s also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting.
December 6, 3 pm – Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.
The message is eerily similar to a 2010 book written by insurance law expert and Rutgers Law School professor Jay M. Feinman.
Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claim and What You Can Do About It is a fiercely critical expose of the insurance industry.
When approached inquiring about a possible link to Thompson’s slaying, Feinman said, “No comment, sorry.”
Still, Dobson said the engraved words will carry weight as the case continues.
“The words on the casings will be very telling, especially if aligned with biblical or possible manifestos,” she said.
‘TYPICAL HITMAN’
As far as the overall characteristics displayed by the suspect, Dobson thinks he could have been self-trained or new to this type of crime.
“This strikes me as a typical hitman that we would see in a gang, mob, or cartel, or low-level ex-military,” she explained.
“However, the individual was idiosyncratic in his behavior and use of weapon,” she continued.
That leads her to believe the suspect was “relatively new to this, driven by emotion, or not well practiced.”
Dobson added that this slaying was “far less sophisticated than completed kills by long-standing hitmen.”
She added: “But again, what we are seeing may have been an intentionally false representation.”
