Brian Thompson

The insurance executive that Luigi Mangione is accused of killing.

Brian Thompson was known for patronizing strip clubs in Minnesota and neighboring states.

Known as BT.

Thompson, a married father of two high-schoolers, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm in 2021.

“Mr. Thompson had been shot with a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol. The bullet that killed him entered the left side of the back before piercing his liver, going through his heart, and exiting the front of the left side of the chest.”

His funeral was privately held the Monday after he was deposed.

Before UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in Midtown Manhattan, he was steering his company through court battles and legislative threats at a time of public frustration over health insurance industry tactics.

UnitedHealthcare’s parent company — which generates $400 billion in annual revenue — has been under increasing scrutiny by lawmakers and federal officials for allegedly hurting consumers with monopolistic practices. Some Democratic lawmakers have accused UnitedHealthcare of intentionally denying claims to boost profits. And Thompson himself has been accused of insider trading.

20/20

“Police quickly get into Brian Thompson’s hotel room. They get his phone. They’re trying to see, is there somebody out there that might have a grudge or a vendetta against Thompson? Did he owe money to people? Was there some sort of a drug thing, an alcohol thing?”