A “conspiracy theory” about UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s shooter has caused quite the ruckus on social media — especially since the words came from a lawyer who’s been in the business for 39 years.
David Betras shared a video on TikTok about his belief that the suspect caught on camera — now seemingly identified as ex-Ivy League student Luigi Mangione — was not the true killer.
After listening to his reasoning, commenters were convinced David was on to something big.
A seasoned lawyer has shared a “conspiracy theory” regarding the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, and it’s stirred up a lot of conversation on TikTok
“I’m no conspiracy theorist,” is the first thing David says in the video, which has garnered more than 300K likes and 25K comments.
But to him, it seemed strange that the murderer had so meticulously planned everything out, but ended up being “sloppy” enough for cameras to capture his face.
Another question he kept in mind was: why had the suspect so calmly left his hotel and gone to get a drink at Starbucks when he was about to commit such a serious crime?
“We never saw the actual shooter’s face. And the shooter knew the CEO’s schedule,” David observed, causing him to label this case as a very “cold, calculated murder.”
The killer additionally knew how to handle a gun and had access to a silencer before walking — instead of running — away from the scene.
“Most people that do rage killings… they run, they fire,” he said.
This, according to David, potentially means that the “true killer hired someone to wear clothing like his, to go to a hostel, to go to Starbucks, and to throw the police off the trail.”
This “conspiracy theory” had a lot of sound reasoning behind it, according to viewers
@davidbetras0 I’m no conspiracy theorist, but that murderer knew where the cameras were when he shot that man. So we never actually got to see the actual shooters face and he didn’t run from the scene. He was very cold and calculating. He obviously knew his schedule he walked away from the scene went into Central Park, where there would be no cameras. Now he’s cautious and all of that but somehow he walks into a Starbucks and stays in a hostel. I don’t know. Maybe I’m crazy but I think there’s more to the story. ♬ original sound – David Betras
David had many TikTok users talking.
“You’re creating reasonable doubt; I love it,” one comment read.
“I think the guy at Starbucks was a decoy,” another wrote. “I agree with you.”
A third suspected, “I think the feds’ only evidence is the evidence that he allows them to have.”
A former retired forensic investigator additionally believed David’s theory made sense.
A person of interest has now been taken into custody
Authorities have now identified the shooter who killed Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, December 4 — 26-year-old Luigi Mangione.
Allegedly, his main motive was his personal experiences with the healthcare system, which many netizens suspected before his name was revealed.
According to AP News, he left his hostel well before dawn, at around 5:30AM, before arriving at the Hilton Hotel, where UnitedHealth Group was holding its annual investor conference.
Thompson arrived alone and was shot at 6:44AM.
Luigi left the scene but was caught by security cameras as he rode away on his bike.