Deny, depose and defend are the three words found engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday. A post has now claimed to have decoded the encrypted message and divulged the eerie link between the three words and the title of a book by Jay M Feinman ‘Delay Deny Defend‘. The book is about insurance companies which drag their feet on paying the claims and UnitedHealthcare is an insurance company. “Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it,” the description of the book reads.
“This is an EARTHQUAKE for corporate America,” the viral X post said indicating that the killer must have been very angry with UnitedHealthcare.
“I knew it! I knew the shooter was angry with the insurance company. This screams someone who was probably denied a claim and possibly lost a loved one due to it,” a response to the viral post said.
“I had United healthcare when I had cancer, and yes, they were terrible: everything was a fight. However, murder is unacceptable and won’t change a damm thing. Also, the shooter could be framing this as insurance issue and maybe it’s something else,” another wrote.
A debate started on X over this viral post about whether the killer is just a hired assassin or whether there is any need to read so much into his clues.
NYPD investigators have got enough hint that the killer was skilled as surveillance footage hinted that his gun got jammed when he opened fire at Brian Thompson but he managed to overcome it and fired off multiple shots from a close range. Then the shooter ran through a nearby passageway to West 55th Street, where he jumped on an electric Citi Bike and rode off into Central Park, police said.
Brian Thompson became the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021 but he had been with the company for more that 20 years rising through the ranks. He received total compensation of $10.2 million last year, with $1 million in base pay augmented by substantial cash and stock grants. The company’s profits rose on his watch, jumping to more than $16 billion last year from $12 billion in 2021, NYT reported.
