Star Tribune
UHC CEO Brian Thompson is shot and killed in New York City
After clearing the jam, the shooter began to fire again, Kenny said, and then fled on foot.
Responding to reporter questions, Kenny said police don’t know if the shooter could have been a professional, nor could investigators say if there was a silencer on the weapon. From watching the video, he said, “it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.”
After his initial flight from the scene, the suspect was later seen riding an e-bike, including when he was spotted in Central Park.
“The motive for this murder currently is unknown,” Kenny said. “Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted. But at this point, we do not know why.”
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer. It is a division of Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group, which is the fourth-largest public company in America behind Walmart, Amazon and Apple.
His wife, Paulette Thompson, told NBC News that he had been receiving threats. “There had been some threats,” she said in a phone call with NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
Star Tribune
2½-year term for onetime Edina financial adviser who stole $1.6M from clients
A onetime Edina-based financial adviser has received a 2½-year prison sentence for cheating clients out of more than $1.6 million and using the money to buy property in the city.
Kristi Margaret Berge, 48, founder and CEO of Keep Safe Investments, LLC, or KSI Financial, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in St. Paul after pleading guilty to wire fraud in connection with the scheme that ran from mid-2020 to early 2023.
After finishing her prison time, Berge will be on supervised release for two years. Her sentence also calls for her to make full restitution to her victims.
Ahead of sentencing, defense attorney Bruce Rivers argued for his client to receive a term of six months’ home confinement followed by three years’ supervised release.
“Ms. Berge has demonstrated an incredible amount of acceptance of responsibility,” Rivers wrote to the court, adding that she had no criminal history before this case. “Ms. Berge never set out to hurt anyone. Her business took a turn, and she made some serious mistakes along the way and has every intention to repay those who were harmed.”
In response, prosecutors asked for Berge to receive a two-year prison term. They noted in their filing that she earned a degree from Columbia University, worked in London for the Morgan Stanley investment firm and “has been a supportive mother to her children.”
However, the filing continued, “given her education, gainful employment and other job skills, Berge’s decision to commit fraud is certainly puzzling and troubling. … That Berge certainly had the means and professional skills to live comfortably without resorting to crime makes her scheme all the more aggravating.”
According to Berge’s plea agreement and other court documents:
Star Tribune
Manhunt continues for killer of Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO
The Des Moines Register reported that Thompson was valedictorian of his 1993 high school class in Jewell, Iowa. The town is located nearly 3 hours south of the Twin Cities, just west of Interstate 35.
“Brian was a wonderful person with a big heart and who lived life to the fullest,” his wife, Paulette Thompson said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by everybody. Our hearts are broken, and we are completely devastated by this news. He touched so many lives.”
United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who died Dec. 4. in New York City.
Investigators were releasing no new details as of 7 a.m. Central time on Thursday.
On Wednesday, police said they were examining the contents of a cell phone found in the alley where the shooter fled. They also indicated the e-bike used by the suspect was part of a local cycle-sharing business.
“There [is] GPS on those bikes,” chief detective Joseph Kenny said during the news conference. “We’ll be working with the company.”
Star Tribune
Prison for man stemming from shooting death in Twin Cities home where toddler present
A 23-year-old man has received a sentence of 3¾ years in connection with a shooting of a resident in his Brooklyn Park home more than two years ago.
Marlon J. White, of Brooklyn Park, was sentenced Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court to second-degree manslaughter stemming from the death of Khalib K. Blunt, 20, on Sept. 28, 2022, at a house in the 7800 block of N. Tessman Drive.
With credit for time in jail after his arrest, White is expected to serve the first 2½ years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the charges and police:
A 911 caller sent police to the home, where they found Blunt down in the entry. Blunt, shot in the chest, died soon afterward at North Memorial Health Hospital.
Officers questioned White at the scene about the gun’s location. He first denied knowing where the gun was but then said he put it in his car parked nearby. An officer found the handgun under the driver’s seat.
White told police he was standing next to Blunt in the living room, heard a gunshot and saw Blunt collapse near the front door. White said he grabbed the gun off the couch, along with his 2-year-old son, and put the gun in his car, then went to Blunt’s aid.
A witness told police he had gone to Blunt’s house that evening, and White was there. They were sitting on a couch smoking marijuana and watching a movie when he heard a gunshot, and saw Blunt get up and rush toward the steps. He said he never saw a gun that evening and didn’t know where it came from.