What Roles Did Tech Play in the Murder Case of UnitedHealthcare CEO?What Roles Did Tech Play in the Murder Case of UnitedHealthcare CEO?

Technology appears to be playing several roles in the unfolding story of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. 

Thompson was gunned down Dec. 4 in New York City while he was walking outside a midtown Hilton. Police turned to camera footage from around the city to track the movements of the suspected killer as he escaped via bike through Central Park and then took a taxi to a bus station. Authorities released several videos and images of a person of interest, including an image of a hooded person unmasking himself at a hostel front desk. 

On Monday, Dec. 9, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, PA, after a McDonalds employee called police to report someone who matched images released by the NYPD. Mangione has since been charged with several charges including murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and forgery, CNN and other news outlets have reported. Mangione was allegedly found with a "ghost gun" made of potentially 3D-printed parts.

What the authorities said about "old school detective work and new age technology"

During a Dec. 9th mid-day press conference, Jessica Tisch, police commissioner of New York City, reported that “members of the Altoona Police Department arrested Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old male on firearms charges. At this time, he is believed to be our person of interest in the brazen, targeted murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, last Wednesday in midtown Manhattan.” Police also found a firearm “on his person and a suppressor, both consistent with the weapon used in the murder,” she said.

Tisch described the amount of technology used to track the suspect. “Our NYPD investigators combed through thousands of hours of video, followed up on hundreds of tips and processed every bit of forensic evidence, DNA, fingerprints, IP addresses, and so much more to tighten the net. We deployed drones, canine units, and scuba divers. We leveraged the Domain Awareness System, Argus cameras, and conducted aviation canvases, and our detectives also went door to door, interviewing potential witnesses and doing the good old fashioned police work that our investigators are famous for. This combination of old school detective work and new age technology is what led to this result today, and we must also acknowledge the instrumental role the media and the public played in this case. The images that we shared with the public were spread far and wide, and the tips we received led to the recovery of crucial evidence.”

Joe Kenny, NYPD chief of detectives, said during that press conference that after the NYPD released the photo of the suspected shooter, “hundreds of tips began to pour into our hotline. Each tip was investigated thoroughly, and we began to release additional photographs as they came into our possession. The NYPD provided these photos to numerous media outlets, local, national and international outlets released a photo via television, print, social media, and online content. Luckily, a citizen in Pennsylvania recognized our subject and called local law enforcement. Members of the Altoona Police Department responded to the call, and based on their investigation, they notified the NYPD.” 

When asked by the media what "single linchpin" led to the arrest, Kenny said that there were “numerous linchpins in this case, in the fact that we've recovered an enormous amount of forensic evidence, an enormous amount of video, and once again, with your help and the public's help. So, I really couldn't put it on one thing, but if I had to, it would be the release of that photograph on the media.”

Kenny added that police will be “working back tracking his steps from New York to Altoona, PA.”

Kenny also said that when Mangione was arrested, “he was in possession of a ghost gun.” According to a Department of Justice press release announcing its “Frame or Receiver” Final Rule, ghost guns “are often assembled from kits, do not contain serial numbers, and are sold without background checks, making them difficult to trace and easy to acquire by criminals.” 

“Right now, the information we're getting from Altoona is that the gun appears to be a ghost gun that may have been made on a 3D printer with the capability of firing a nine-millimeter round—obviously, that will come out during our ballistics testing,” Kenny said. 

During a Dec. 9th evening press conference in Altoona, authorities said that electronic devices found on the suspect “are in the process of being downloaded.” The suspect also reportedly “took steps to try and avoid detection with some of the electronic devices.”

The Pittsburg Post-Gazette reported that Mangione was carrying Faraday bags, which according to several online bag sellers can block various signals from electronic devices. Mangione, however, reportedly said that his bags were used “to protect his phone and laptop from water damage, not to evade detection,” according to the Post-Gazette.

According to CNN, Mangione has a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and had worked as a software engineer for the online car sales company TrueCar.

More on camera technology

NYPD Police Commissioner Tisch mentioned use of the Domain Awareness System and Argus cameras in the search for the suspect. According to Domain Awareness, the NYPD Domain Awareness System (DAS) “is a citywide network of sensors, databases, devices, software, and infrastructure that informs decision-making by delivering analytics and tailored information to officers’ smartphones and precinct desktops.” Since 2008, the NYPD has used “the DAS to employ a unique combination of analytics and information technology, including pattern recognition, machine learning, and data visualization” to “combat terrorism and improve crime-fighting effectiveness,” according to Domain Awareness.

It is unclear exactly how many cameras are in use by NYPD. A 2021 Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) census identified more than 16,692 Hikvision cameras in New York City. Also in 2021, an Amnesty International investigation identified 15,280 surveillance cameras in New York City. (Both groups seek a ban on facial recognition technology, alleging inaccuracy and discriminatory risks.)  

The NYPD says that it has used facial recognition “to identify suspects whose images have been captured by cameras at robberies, burglaries, assaults, shootings, and other crimes.”