Revealed: Meaning of cryptic message written on bullets assassin used to kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as his wife reveals his family had received mystery ‘threats’
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.
Health insurance boss Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the back and calf early on Wednesday by a masked man who appeared to be waiting for him outside the Hilton hotel in Manhattan, before succumbing to his injuries in hospital.
Detectives investigating the shooting reportedly found shell casings with the words ‘depose’, ‘deny’ and ‘defend’ inscribed on them.
They are now working to determine what the words mean and if they could possibly hint at a motive for the slaying of the 50-year-old.
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’.
The revelation came as Mr Thompson’s grieving widow, with whom he has two sons, claimed that her husband had received threats before he was shot.
‘There had been some threats,’ Paulette Thompson, 51, told NBC News as she broke her silence in her first comments since her husband was killed.
The title of a 2010 book by Jay M. Feinman criticizing insurance practices bears resemblance to messages on shell casings found at the scene of the crime
‘I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him’ before his trip to New York, she added.
Ms Thompson said that she could not ‘really give a thoughtful response right now’ as she had ‘just found this out’ and was ‘trying to console [her] children’.
She said police had told her it is believed to have been a ‘targeted attack’.
Brian Thompson, 50, was shot in the calf and back early on Wednesday by a masked man who appeared to be waiting for him outside the Hilton hotel.
Shocking footage showed the gunman approach Mr Thompson from several feet and shoot, causing him to fall.
The gunman fired multiple shots during the ambush and jammed his gun in the process, but managed to quickly clear the obstruction and continue firing.
After the assailant darted across the road and out of sight, Mr Thompson was rushed to Mt Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.
No arrests have yet been made.
Police sources told ABC News that casings were found at the scene with the cryptic messages left on them.
Police said they found three live 9mm rounds and three discharged 9mm shell casings, as well as a cellphone, at the scene.