Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - BREAKING: Manhunt for Masked Man Who Shot Dead UnitedHealthcare CEO In Targeted Attack | Crime Alert Hourly Update

Episode Date: December 4, 2024

Today we'd like to direct your attention to another podcast - the new Crime Alert Hourly Update. The CrimeOnline team delivers hourly updates on breaking crime news as it happens throughout the day! Follow now on your favorite podcast app: https://link.podtrac.com/CrimeAlertHourlyUpdate An insurance company bigwig is shot dead outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel in what appears to be a targeted attack. A man from Canada is finally extradited to New Jersey to face charges in a 1997 cold case murder. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Crime Alert Hourly Update. Breaking crime news now. I'm Drew Nelson. Manhunt in Manhattan. An insurance company bigwig is shot to death outside a Midtown hotel in what appears to be a targeted attack. Brian Thompson, CEO of United Healthcare, was killed this morning just outside the New York Hilton Midtown. This morning at 6.46 a.m., patrol officers from Midtown North Precinct responded to a 911 call of a person shot in front of the Hilton Hotel located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. This is between West 53rd Street and West 54th Street. At 6.48 a.m., officers arrive and find the victim, Brian R. Thompson, a 50-year-old male on the sidewalk in

front of the Hilton with gunshot wounds to his back and leg. Mr. Thompson was removed by EMS to Roosevelt Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 7.12 a.m. A masked man was reportedly waiting for Thompson, then fired at him multiple times. A masked man was reportedly waiting for Thompson, then fired at him multiple times. The suspect fled east on 6th Avenue, later riding away on a bicycle. Thompson, age 50, was taken to Mount Sinai West in critical condition, but was pronounced dead there. Police described the shooter as a white man wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and a gray backpack. Witnesses tell police the gunman had been loitering near the hotel before Thompson got there. Investigators believe the assailant

knew Thompson's route and waited for his arrival. UnitedHealthcare is one of the largest health insurers in the United States. Thompson had been with UnitedHealthcare for 20 years, becoming CEO in 2021. He lived in Minnesota. By 9 a.m. this morning, police had cordoned off West 54th Street near the hotel, and despite the shocking event, guests were still ordering coffee and loitering in the lobby. Police are working to identify the possible motive behind the attack. An NYPD spokesperson calls it brazen. Quote, we are putting all our resources into finding who did this. More crime and justice news after this. A man from Canada is finally extradited to New York City to face charges in a 1997 cold case

murder. Authorities in New Jersey have taken custody of Robert Creeder, age 60, for the 1997 murder of Tamara Tigner. Tigner, age 23, was found dead November 4th of 1997 in the woods near Washington Valley Park in Bridgewater, New Jersey. She'd been strangled. An ATV writer found her body that day. And for years, the case went unsolved, two decades or longer. Investigators continued to work on the case, but they had little evidence to move forward. But then, in January of last year, advancements in DNA technology gave authorities new opportunities to re-examine the old evidence, including DNA. Earlier, investigators had linked Kreider to an orange van seen near Tigner on the day she died. Tigner, who was from Newark, was last seen getting

into the van that morning. This information, combined with the DNA match, led to Kreider's arrest. At the time of the murder, Kreider lived in New Jersey, but he moved to Canada in 2002. Once the DNA linked him to the crime, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office worked with the U.S. Department of State and Canadian authorities in Winnipeg to bring Kreider to justice. Canadian authorities took him into custody in June, and he was extradited to the states last month. Kreider is now held in the Somerset County Jail awaiting trial. Assistant Prosecutor Mike McLaughlin recalls how Tigner's mother never gave up hope. It has been 27 years, as I said, 9,885 days since her body was found. Tammy's mom called our office on November 4th of every year,

the anniversary of Tammy's death, looking for an update. I spoke with the victim's mother. I told her that we had arrested the man who killed her daughter. It was incredibly emotional, and she was very thankful to our detectives today and the detectives at the time. Crater now faces a first-degree murder charge and is expected to appear in court in Somerville today. Authorities say there are eight other cold cases in Somerset County that they hope to solve using similar DNA technology. Colonel Patrick J. Callahan of the New York State Police says, quote, this arrest shows the dedication of law enforcement to seek justice no matter how much time has passed. A young woman from Missouri vanishes after a night out, leaving her family desperate for answers. Desiree Ferris, then 18 years old, disappeared from Liberty, Missouri,

in the early hours of May 2nd, 2017. She had been with her sister and two other men. Her sister was dropped off that night, but Desiree stayed with the men. They drove her to a house in the Marlboro neighborhood of Kansas City, and she was never heard from again. The last contact with Desiree was a call she made at 2.06 a.m. May 2nd, followed by a text at 5.14 a.m. Her mother, Patty Tam, tells KCTV, quote, she was my baby. Patty keeps her living room filled with photos of Desiree, clinging to memories as she fears, quote, there's probably nothing left of her. She deserves to be home.

The neighborhood where Desiree was last seen was known for drug activity. Investigators say the area has made searching difficult. Liberty Police Detective Josh Bodenhammer has been on the case since day one. He believes Desiree may no longer be alive, but lacks the evidence to prove it. Phone records have helped trace some of Desiree's movements that night. She and her sister were driven around Kansas City by a man named Jason Keegan, stopping at various houses. Keegan dropped them off at a McDonald's before Desiree went off with another man. The last ping by Desiree's phone was around 4.51 a.m.

Desiree Ferris is white with brown hair and brown eyes, 5'1", between 95 and 105 pounds when she disappeared. She has a birthmark near her navel and a one and a half inch scar on her left forearm. She was wearing a white or cream colored top, pink fuzzy jacket, and sweatpants when she was last seen. She had a tan purse. There is currently a reward fund of $12,000 or more. Looking for information leading to her location? Anyone with information should call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Drew Nelson. This is an iHeart Podcast.