The suspect in the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO managed to elude police for nearly a week. How long can he avoid getting caught?

CNN
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He’s out there somewhere.

Nearly a week after a health care executive was fatally shot on a busy New York City street, authorities know what the suspect looks like, but they don’t know who or where he is.

From the look at his unmasked face, his movements through the country’s largest city, and the possessions he supposedly left behind, he seems almost familiar, but remains an enigma as he continues to evade capture.

The public has now seen several images and videos of the man suspected of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a midtown Manhattan hotel on December 4th. A video showed him pointing the gun at Thompson’s back.

With tips mounting and hundreds of authorities likely searching for the whereabouts of a suspect believed to have left New York City on a long-distance bus, the question is how long he can avoid getting caught.

Former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O’Toole said his identity should be determined soon.

“I think we’ll know who that is in a few days, if anyone,” O’Toole told CNN.

“He’s completely outnumbered,” O’Toole emphasized. “With this type of manpower behind them, they will find the information that will identify him.”

Experts say the unknown suspect made missteps before and after the attack that could bring authorities closer to finding him.

“The ability to defend ourselves against such an investigation is not something one person can achieve, no matter how arrogant you are,” she said. “You’re bound to make mistakes.”

Some of the suspect’s previous actions, such as pulling down his mask on camera and leaving behind labeled bullet casings, a burner phone and a partial fingerprint on a water bottle, have only added to the clues left behind for authorities.

Police also tracked his movements before the shooting using a Greyhound bus traveling from Atlanta to New York City.

NYPD officials said they believe the suspect left the city on a long-distance bus after video cameras showed him entering the George Washington Bus Terminal on 178th Street but not leaving.

“What hurts the shooter is that law enforcement is getting better, but the shooter can’t undo what he’s already done,” O’Toole said.

The former FBI profiler says the shooter had apparently only practiced such killings before and was not an experienced assassin. Leaving bullet casings or Monopoly money to authorities would not normally be consistent with the actions of a murderer who wanted to “get back into oblivion,” O’Toole said.

Peter Young, a former inmate and FBI fugitive who was charged with terror crimes related to the release of animals from fur farms and evaded capture for more than seven years, told CNN that the number is crucial Minimize the number of actions a refugee takes before and after a crime. Avoid getting caught.

“It sounds like this person didn’t comply,” Young said. “If he were to stop at Starbucks, that sounds like an unnecessary risk.”

After several days of evading capture by the FBI, New York Police Department and other agencies, the psychological pressure of escape and the focus of a large-scale search could lead to future mistakes, according to O’Toole.

“It would be absolutely overwhelming and there’s nothing he can do about it and this is where he’s going to make mistakes,” she said. “In the role of the shooter, he is currently having to deal with emotions and consequences that I don’t think he expected at all.”

It’s possible that under increasing pressure, the suspect could lose the critical thinking skills he needs to strategically avoid capture, the expert said.

“His options are becoming fewer and fewer, and beyond that his ability to make good decisions is deteriorating,” O’Toole said.

“(Given the fact) that he will never be able to return to a normal life like he had before last week, all of this can lead to very bad decisions,” she added.

O’Toole says the more investigators can pinpoint the suspect and his identity, the more details about his life they can examine that could be crucial to the case.

“They’ll be looking for his behavior patterns,” O’Toole said.

“You start asking, ‘Where does he work?’ Where does he go after work? Does he work out in the gym? Is he walking his family dog?’” she said.

“It’s really difficult for us to break whatever pattern of behavior we rely on in our lives, so at some point you default to going to Starbucks to get your coffee, or you default to getting up at six in the morning and going for a run.” , she added.

According to images released by authorities, the suspect was seen ordering a bottle of water and two energy bars from Starbucks the morning before the shooting.

Early Sunday, the FBI released new photos of the hooded suspect sitting in the back seat of a taxi wearing dark clothing, his face partially covered with a blue mask as his eyes appeared to stare directly into the taxi’s camera.

Similar photos showed him walking down the street outside the taxi.

Authorities are also hoping someone who knows the suspect will come forward. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. The NYPD added another $10,000.

Police believe the weapon used in the shooting is missing.

After inspecting a backpack that police sources said may have belonged to the shooter, authorities determined there was no weapon inside. That sparked a search with divers in Central Park over the weekend, but it was unsuccessful.

The backpack contained a Tommy Hilfiger jacket and Monopoly money, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Police also found a burner phone they believe the suspect used, found DNA and took a partial fingerprint from a water bottle, and 9mm shell casings with the words “delay,” “denial” and “file” written on them. recovered at the scene of the shooting,” it said, according to NYPD Chief Detective Joseph Kenny.

Police are investigating whether the words, similar in wording to a common description of insurance company tactics – “delay, deny, defend” – could indicate a motive. In 2010, a book called “Delay Deny Defend” was published that criticized the insurance industry.

Surveillance images released by authorities show the suspect riding an electric bicycle toward Central Park. The bike was not found.