UnitedHealthcare CEO Assassination: Bullet Casings Inscribed With “Deny, Defend, Depose”

The plot thickens in the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as New York Police Department investigators have discovered shell casings at the shooting area engraved with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.” 

The shooter, still at large, appeared to have targeted Thompson, waiting for him early Wednesday morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown hotel, firing multiple shots from a suppressed 9mm handgun, killing the high-level insurance executive.

Officials familiar with the investigation told the New York Times that the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” were found on 9mm bullet casings at the scene. They also noted that ballistic tests are currently underway.

UPDATE: Below are photos of a person of interest wanted for questioning regarding the Midtown Manhattan homicide on Dec. 4. This does not appear to be a random act of violence; all indications are that it was a premediated, targeted attack.

The full investigative efforts of… pic.twitter.com/K3kzC4IbtS

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 5, 2024

The words etched into the metal casings may have multiple meanings, with many on X indicating the words point back to the 2010 book “Delay Deny Defend: Why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it,” in which author Jay Feinman “exposes insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight back.”

Here’s a summary of the book featured on Amazon (an extended summary can be found here): 

“The denial of valid insurance claims is not occasional or accidental or the fault of a few bad employees. It’s the result of an increasing and systematic focus on maximizing profits by major companies such as Allstate and State Farm. Citing dozens of stories of victims who were unfairly denied payment, the book explains how people can be more careful when shopping for policies and what to do when pursuing a disputed claim. It also lays out a plan for the legal reforms needed to prevent future abuses.”

The internet search term “Delay Deny Defend” exploded nationwide on Wednseday night after the bombshell bullet casing report dropped.

Recent data from Lending Tree shows that UnitedHealthcare had some of the highest claim denial rates by any insurance company in the US.

The assassination of the high-level healthcare executive is unfolding like a real-time Netflix murder mystery show. 

I’m completely obsessed with this now. The words on the shell casings are similar to the title of a book “Delay, Deny, Defend” which is critical of the insurance industry. Police also don’t think the shooter was a professional assassin. https://t.co/Alvr8NgErG

— Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) December 5, 2024

This is a play on “delay, deny, defend”, a three tiered tactic used by insurance companies to avoid paying out claims.

This is evidence that the motive is in fact what many suspected it to be. https://t.co/F1Xm7jv3va

— Avi Bitterman, MD (@AviBittMD) December 5, 2024

Citizens journalists on X are trying to piece together the puzzle of who the professional assassin might be.