I think that most reasons for professional hit are contraindicated by the message. If it were an organization that feels wronged, they’d want to send a message of “don’t fuck with us”, and obscuring who “us” is would not help with that.
So I agree with the people who think it’s most likely a lone and disgruntled, yet competent, actor. The only other option that makes sense, more complex and thus less likely, would be someone who has a direct monetary interest in his death and wants to redirect suspicion, but that eliminates most people who would hire a killer.
Very possibly. But of course he could always head up your way–the language barrier could be overcome after watching a few YouTube clips of SCTV’s Great White North sketches. (!)
Public libraries. Available computers, and not much in the way of surveillance cameras (the libraries lack the funding).
Or, it could be a stolen phone or one he picked up at a party or something. Perhaps even one he “borrowed” from an acquaintance, as a means of hiding himself in the foeground.
I mean, honestly, who forgets their personal phone? It makes no sense, and this person does not seem careless.
On social media, at least, most people seem to be very sympathetic to the shooter, especially considering how it looks like this may have been revenge for denied treatment that cost the life of a loved one. I wonder if that might lead people to conveniently “forget” that they know someone who looks like the guy in that picture.
If that does turn out to be his motive and he gets caught, finding an impartial jury might well be impossible.
That’s typical of the kind of hyperbolic nonsense that circulates on social media. Regardless of how people feel about private health insurers – and some are in favour of it – in the final analysis only a psychopath would really believe that a CEO of such deserves to be killed. What someone says on Twitter is not an accurate reflection of what they would do in the cold light of reality in a jury room.
DNA or fingerprints aren’t going to do any good unless he’s already in a data base- and most people aren’t. Maybe they could get some sort of match if he or a relative had a prior conviction that involved collecting DNA - but otherwise? Let’s just put it this way. I had one of those tests done, and I have one match who could be my first cousin’s daughter, my second cousin, my half-first cousin or my parent’s first cousin. I know her, but there are probably over 100 people in those categories. Next match after that is most likely my parent’s second cousin (although there are other possibilities). You could show him a photo of me- and he would have no idea who I was.
So, another baseless speculation: while I think there is zero chance that Trump is connected to it, there is a world leader who is interested in exacerbating divisions in the United States, who has employed all sorts of underhanded propaganda techniques to further that goal, who has espionage history, and who has employed assassination.
It would not be totally shocking to find Putin’s hand in this deed.
I was going to say that but then I realized that I had to do finger prints for my TSA pre check and a thumbprint at some point for my CA drivers license (they didn’t require it when I first got it but at some point I had to to renew). In my case my mom and sister stupidly did 23andme.
They matched it to a relative who did a commercial DNA test - but I couldn’t find anything more specific than “a distant relative” which for all I know could be a first cousin once-removed. The police could maybe find a third cousin- but it would take weeks, not days. There will most likely be dozens of possibilities and the police would have to build a whole family tree to even find the possibilities. And then try to narrow it down - which if the person lived within driving or commuter train distance of NYC is going to be very hard and even more so if the family is from that area. The photo might help, if it’s not too distant -if you showed me a photo of my first cousin once removed, I’d recognize him. Second cousin, probably. Third cousin- not a chance.
I don’t even know if someone could build a family tree based on my DNA matches. The parent’s first cousin and parent’s second cousin aren’t even related to each other. It’s going to take a lot of luck in addition to work to identify someone based solely on a commercial DNA match. Of course it’s going to happen sometimes - but it really is luck.
Getting a stranger to call your phone would be a piece of cake. Plant yourself on a sidewalk bench, rooting through a backpack. “Excuse me, can you do me a favor? I know my phone’s in here but I can’t find it. Can you call it please? This is the number.” Most people would help without a second thought. Yes, you’re showing your face to them, but if you wait a couple days after, memory will fade.
New detail from CNN: the killer checked into the hostel on November 30th using a fake New Jersey driver’s license. They also think they have CCTV of him on his bike leaving Central Park via 77th St, without his backpack, and they’re searching the park for it but they haven’t found it yet.
With the Golden State killer they built a family tree based on a lot of relatives. They had a few dozen possibilities and took weeks to eliminate all but a small few based on age and location. Since it was a cold case they had the luxury of time. When they narrowed it down to him (or maybe him and a couple of others), they surveilled him and got some DNA from a doorknob or something.