Brian Thompson marriage secret revealed, as ex-FBI agent suggests new motive for CEO’s killing

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was separated from his wife when he was shot dead in Manhattan.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down in the early hours of Wednesday as he was on his way to an investor conference at the New York Hilton Midtown. His killer remains free.

At the time of the killing, Thompson and his estranged wife Paulette had been living in separate homes that are less than a mile apart in suburban Maple Grove, Minnesota, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Thompson purchased the $1million home near his family home in 2018, according to public records. 

His wife Paulette disclosed that her husband, who spent much of time traveling, had previously received threats. She referenced a ‘lack of coverage.’ Despite the reported, threats, Thompson did not travel with security.

Former FBI supervisor Robert D’Amico said the slaying was likely carried out over a personal vendetta against UnitedHealthcare. 

D’Amico said simple google searches would have been enough to yield enough information to allow the shooter to carry out the, ‘brazen, targeted attack’.

‘Even a layman can find there’s so much on the internet now and people put so much out there,’ the security consultant told NBC News. 

UnitedHealthcare had put out an announcement about the conference without specifying a location.

Investigators are searching for clues that could help them identify the masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies, then disappeared into Central Park.

Police have used drones, helicopters and dogs in an intense search, but the killer’s whereabouts remain unknown as of Thursday morning.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that while investigators had not yet established a motive, the shooting was no random act of violence.

‘Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,’ Tisch said at a news conference Wednesday.

‘From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly,’ NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Thomson was accused of insider trading and fraud before he was assassinated.

Last year the DoJ launched a probe into whether the private company of the nation’s biggest insurer, led by Thompson, was unfairly restricting competitors and running a monopoly. 

In May, the City of Hollywood Firefighters’ Pension Fund initiated a complaint against Thompson and other executives, accusing the CEO of failing to tell investors about the federal probe before he unloaded over 31 percent of his stock, taking in $15.1 million in proceeds.

In legal documents, the fund said Thompson and other company execs sold over $117 million worth of UnitedHealth common stock during the four-month period when insiders knew about the federal antitrust investigation but the public did not.

Police issued several surveillance images of the man, who wore a hooded jacket and a mask that concealed most of his face and wouldn’t have attracted attention on a frigid winter day. Some of the photos were taken at a Starbucks coffee shop shortly before the shooting.

The police department offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Officials are looking into whether the killer fled on an unmarked e-bike, and not a Citi Bike, as authorities had preciously said. 

‘Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him,’ the insurer’s Minnetonka, Minnesota-based parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., said in a statement. 

‘We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.’