Since the moment video footage in New York City was released of a hooded figure walking behind another individual, raising a gun, and then fleeing on a bike, every new detail in what would later be revealed as the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione appeared to be taken out of every detective book and movie ever made. That Mangione was eventually captured points to the strength of US law enforcement which depended on the buy-in from citizens to make the tip-off. The murder case has reignited a national conversation throughout the US about its profit-driven health industry.
Something more applicable to the T&T context is how US law enforcement provided an almost textbook case of how to catch a criminal. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has much to learn. Up to the point of his capture, it was evident that the killer put a lot of thought into the crime.
He used a fake ID to check into a Manhattan hostel, knew the hotel where Thompson was staying, and waited for the unsuspecting CEO to return to the hotel to make his move. He even had a “getaway” vehicle (an electric bike) ready. A cryptic three-word message written on ammunition—“deny”, “defend”, “depose”—was left at the scene of the crime.
What also made the murder case intriguing was the mixed reactions and even sympathy for the killer. TikTok videos emerged, as is customary now in our modern era, involving people who attempted to rationalise the death of a health .
