Brian Thompson’s murder ‘linked’ to a 2010 book with anti-insurance sentiment?Cryptic message on bullets found
Cryptic inscriptions found on shell casings at the scene. Suspect still at large as police investigate possible insurance industry motives.
CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, was fatally shot on Wednesday morning ahead of the company’s major investor meeting. The targeted killing has taken a chilling turn, with investigators uncovering a potential cryptic message on the bullets used in the attack. The suspect, who remains on the run, is believed to have inscribed ‘disturbing’ words that echo the language of a 2010 book critical of the insurance industry.
Eerie message found on bullets in CEO Brian Thompson’s killing
The masked suspect, seen carrying a “luxury” backpack often used by photographers, reportedly left behind shell casings inscribed with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend” at the crime scene outside the Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot multiple times and later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. According to the NY Post, police found three live 9-millimeter rounds and three discharged casings in front of the NYC hotel, where Thompson, was scheduled to host an investors' conference that morning.
Earlier, police shared surveillance images showing the suspect using a silencer on a firearm before targeting Thompson, the Minnesota-based CEO of the largest private health insurer in the U.S.
‘Meaning’ behind the cryptic message inscribed on bullets
The motive behind the killer's inscriptions remains unclear, with both the intent and the suspect's identity still unknown as the investigation progresses. However, according to the POST’s finding, the three words inscribed on the shell casings strongly resemble the title of Jay Feinman’s 2010 book Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.
The words "Delay" and "Deny," along with "Defend," is the book central theme. “Today the name of the game is delay, deny, defend: to improve their profits, insurance companies delay payment of justified claims, deny payment altogether, and defend their actions by forcing claimants to enter litigation,” an excerpt from the book reads, which criticises the insurance industry, an area where Thompson served as a top leader.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday. Early reports say that several pieces of evidence, each with just one word, were found at the crime scene. Police think the killer might have wanted to send a certain message. They also found a water bottle and a cell phone, which investigators believe could have been left behind by the suspect while running away and which can be used to trace the fingerprints.
According to CNN, a senior police official mentioned that the shooter stopped by a nearby coffee shop about 30 minutes before the murder. Thompson’s wife recently opened up about the threats the CEO had been receiving from "angry customers. Thompson joined UnitedHealth in 2004. He became the company’s CEO in 2021.
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