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The ongoing manhunt for the masked killer who assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 has reportedly hit a roadblock, despite the police having found several pieces of evidence.
Knewz.com has learned that law enforcement officials have been successful in tracking down the hostel in the Upper West Side, New York, where the killer had been staying before murdering the health insurance executive.
Security footage from the hostel purportedly showed the murder suspect, and the police shared snapshots from the footage where the suspect's face is visible—asking for the public's help in finding or identifying the individual.
The released photos showed the suspect smiling in the lobby of a Manhattan hostel.
According to reports, the suspect was wearing a face mask for most of the time he was in the hostel and used a fake ID to check-in.
On December 5, the day after the murder, police released another footage that showed the suspect, or "person of interest," cycling out of Central Park around 15 minutes after the crime was committed.
Along with the footage, law enforcement has also shared still frames of the suspected gunman stopping at a Starbucks before the murder, as well as captured video clips of the attack itself.
According to reports, police have also found a burner cellphone, believed to have belonged to the yet-unidentified assailant, in a pedestrian plaza through which the killer is believed to have fled after the attack.
The police also recovered a discarded water bottle and a protein bar wrapper from a nearby trashcan—both of which are currently being examined for fingerprints and DNA evidence.
It has been reported that the killer bought these items at a Starbucks just minutes before gunning down the UnitedHealthcare CEO.
Despite having uncovered considerable evidence, however, law enforcement officials still have not had much luck finding the individual.
Among several "roadblocks" the investigators are reportedly facing in the case is the fact that they have been unable to break into the cellphone they recovered from the pedestrian plaza.
Furthermore, the fingerprint on the recovered water bottle has also turned out to be smudged, reports have mentioned.
Investigating officers currently believe that the killer came to New York the previous month onboard a bus that reportedly left from Atlanta. Police are currently investigating whether the "person of interest" had purchased a ticket to The Big Apple in late November.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed at 6:45 am on December 4 as he arrived at the New York Hilton Midtown for the insurance company’s annual investor conference.
Thompson was rushed to Mount Sinai West Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 7:12 am, per reports.
According to law enforcement officials, the bullets used to murder the health insurance executive were inscribed with the words "Deny," "Defend," and "Depose," which echoes a phrase often used by attorneys to describe how insurers deny services and payment—"Delay, Deny, Defend."
Lea Keller, the managing partner at Lewis and Keller, a North Carolina-based personal injury law firm, explained, "The longer they can delay and deny the claim, the longer they can hold onto their money and they’re not paying it out."
According to reports, the phrase has become some sort of a "rallying cry" against the insurance industry and was also used as the title of a Jay Feinman book published in 2010 that heavily criticized the industry and offered insights into how insurance companies handle claims.
An excerpt from the book reads, "All insurance companies have an incentive to chisel their customers in order to increase profits."
In this regard, it has been pointed out that UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest health insurance firms in the United States, and raked in more than $281 billion in revenue the previous year alone.
According to reports, the company – and several other firms like it – have become the target of significant criticism from doctors, patients, and lawmakers over the past couple of years for "denying claims or complicating access to care."
An October 2024 report from the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations showed that the insurance company's "prior authorization denial rate for some Medicare Advantage patients" has risen considerably in recent years.
"Critics say insurers are increasingly interfering with even routine care, causing delays that can, in some cases, hurt a patient’s chances for recovery or even survival," reports have mentioned.
As a result, the news of the insurance CEO's murder has reportedly seen little to no sympathy from a large section of the general public—i.e., going by the reactions on social media.
A significantly large section of netizens are hailing the masked assassin as a "hero," with memes about the Wednesday murder making rounds online.
For instance, a comment on Instagram about the incident read, "I would be happy to help look for the shooter but vision isn’t covered under my healthcare plan."