Murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and His Wife Were Living in Separate Homes Less Than a Mile Apart When He Was Shot

Murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was reportedly living apart from his wife at the time of his death—with property records indicating that the slain executive and his spouse had been living in separate homes for several years before he was shot dead in New York City.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Thompson and his wife, Paulette, were residing in different properties located less than a mile apart in the affluent Minnesota suburb of Maple Grove.

Property records indicate that Thompson and his spouse owned two properties in Maple Grove, one of which was transferred into a trust in Paulette’s name in 2020, while the other was put into a trust in Thompson’s name that same year.

One of the homes appears to have been purchased by Thompson, who had an annual salary of over $9 million, in 2011—the same year it was built—for $817,301. That 5,259-square-foot property boasts five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, all on 0.63 acres.

The second home, which was last purchased in 2018 for just under $1.1 million, has exactly the same number of bedrooms and bathrooms as the family’s first house; however, it features 6,384 square feet of living space.

That home, which was built in 2012, was described in its original listing as an “exquisite, stunning and beautifully maintained” property that is “nestled” on the private lot.

“High quality upgrades throughout featuring a large open chef’s kitchen, gorgeous black walnut hardwoods, porch with gas fireplace and private deck,” the listing continues.

It’s been reported that Paulette was living in one of the homes with the younger of the couple’s two sons, while Thompson was living in the nearby second abode.

One of the Thompsons’ neighbors, Jim Pitzner, told the WSJ that the medical insurance CEO had been traveling frequently in the lead-up to his death on Dec. 4 outside of a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan.

Authorities believe that the killing was a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack” by the shooter, who has yet to be identified or captured.

The motive has not yet been revealed, however security footage of the killer show that he appeared to be waiting for Thompson, according to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

“Many people passed the suspect, but he appeared to wait for his intended target,” Tisch said at a press conference on Wednesday, while the NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny added: “From watching the video, it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.”

Speaking to NBC News in the wake of her estranged husband’s murder, Paulette revealed that he had been sent “threats,” adding that she believed these threats pertained to medical coverage.

“Yes, there had been some threats,” she said. “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.”

Despite the threats, it’s understood that Thompson did not travel with security, with Kenny noting that the businessman appears to have walked from his own hotel to the Hilton by himself and with no “issues.”

“Speaking to other employees that traveled with him to New York, it doesn’t seem like he had a security detail,” the NYPD chief noted. “He left the hotel by himself, was walking, didn’t seem like he had any issues at at all.”

However, Thompson had recently experienced some legal difficulties, having been named in a lawsuit filed by a Florida pension fund in which he and two other UnitedHealth executives were accused of hiding a Justice Department antitrust investigation from shareholders.

It has since been revealed that the bullets used by the masked gunman to kill Thompson appeared to have been inscribed with a message, according to the New York Post, which reports that the NYPD is currently investigating “the possible message.”

The outlet reports that the bullets appear to have been engraved with the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend.”

Thompson, who was originally from Iowa, worked for UnitedHealthcare’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group, for more than 20 years before his death at age 50, beginning as the director of corporate development in April 2004, per his LinkedIn.

Over the years, he worked his way up the corporate ladder at the company’s headquarters in Minnesota, before being named as the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021.