Private Investigator Experience: CEO of United Healthcare death could have been prevented: Episode 68

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
you for joining me today on thePrivate Investigator Experience
Podcast, and I'm your host, PhilLittle.
I have a special report today,and it's a very sad report, and
I believe it's something thatcould have been prevented.
The assassination ofUnitedHealthcare CEO Brian
Thompson, I believe, could havebeen prevented with what I've

(00:28):
learned in my investigation.
This is very sad because thistakes me back over 30 years to a
breach of security, thathappened in 1989 when Rebecca
Schaefer, a young actress on herway up, was murdered on her

(00:48):
doorstep by a stalker who hadbeen sending her threats and had
shown up at the studio to try tosee her.
Rebecca Schaefer was not a bigname.
She was on a television show, MySister Sam, and was up and
coming, and was living in anapartment in West Hollywood,
when the stalker, Robert JohnBartow, found her address, there

(01:10):
was a private investigator inPhoenix, who he hired, to find
Rebecca's address, and theinvestigator didn't bother to
find out why he was looking forthis young woman.
Prior to Schaefer's death,Hollywood was not really serious
about checking out threats.
They'd had so many of them, andmost didn't act out with
violence, and so many times theyjust put them in the trash and

(01:32):
didn't even tell the victimsabout the threats.
among lesser known actorsproviding security was looked at
as being cost effective for allthese volumes of people they
would have.
young actors weren't given anytraining on how to protect
themselves.
At least if we don't providebodyguards or personal
protection, let's train them howto use common sense to protect

(01:54):
themselves.
And Ms.
Schaefer's actions showed theresults of not being trained on
what to do.
When Bartow ran her doorbell,the front camera was out, so she
went to the front door to seewho it was.
Bartow shot and killed her.
Had she been warned not to go tothe door, not knowing who was

(02:14):
there, she probably would stillbe alive today.
This was a wake up call toHollywood and corporate
executives.
In 1990, West Coast Detectivesand I was part of the founding
of the Threat Management Unit atLAPD.
Which over time spreadthroughout the world and set
standards for threat management,starting with the forensic
examination of all threats, nomatter how small I would have

(02:38):
thought that a company as big asUnitedHealthcare would have
known about threat management.
They have their own securitydetails inside.
in fact, they had in the pastprovided security protection for
Brian Thompson.
So why not now with all thethreats?
Even before 1990 and the ThreatManagement Unit being formed at

(03:01):
West Coast Detectives, we hadbeen handling celebrity
protection, since our foundingin 1922.
And I have personally had over50 years experience in handling
threats to high profile people.
Celebrities or movie starsaren't the only people targeted.
Our client list includes big andsmall companies who took

(03:21):
seriously the threats to theiremployees after the Rebecca
Schaefer situation.
They checked them all out, eventhough most turned out to be
harmless.
Why didn't UnitedHealthcare havebodyguards with Brian who was
going to a possible contentiousmeeting with stockholders and
others who might not be friendlywith Brian due to the some

(03:44):
insurance problems they mighthave had, getting claims denied,
the layoffs recently of a lot ofpeople in September.
Also, this meeting was in NewYork City where crime is out of
control.
What were they thinking?
This decision was an epitome ofthe pretty wise, pound foolish,
or lack of concern, I would hateto think that, at the top of the

(04:08):
company about preventiveprotection.
Prevention, is cheaper thanenforcement.
I have drilled that into ourclients.
Prevention is cheaper thanenforcement.
And in this case, the cost wasvery big, a life loss.
It seems like it takes a largecost, a loss of life, like with

(04:30):
Rebecca Schaefer for companiesto learn that the threat
environment has gotten worseover the years that is spread
across America these last fewyears.
It's gone rampant.
With the current administrationat this point, the shooter is
still on the loose and not apositive ID he was familiar with
weapons because he fired threeshots at Brian.

(04:53):
The first one, the gun jammedand he could be seen, chambering
another round the second onejammed.
He also slid back to cylinderand chained another one in and
the third one also jammed and hekicked that one out.
but he left lots of clues hewasn't a professional, but he
knew his weapons and had atarget and he hit the target at

(05:16):
this point, the shooter hasstill not been positively ID'd
and he's still on the loose.
I'll keep you reports on that asthey come in, as I keep digging
in to find out.
More about what really happened.
And what was the mindset withUnitedHealthcare not having body
Guards, particularly in thisenvironment.
We've had clients that's hadcontingent stockholder meetings

(05:39):
without threats where we had abig presence of plain clothes
security to make sure nothinghappened.
That was prevention.
And I don't remember one caseWhere the client opted for
prevention.
We had a problem while we werethere.
Many would say, well, you didn'tneed security.

(06:00):
No, I say it was because we werethere that headed off anybody
that might wanted to get out ofline.
Be alert.
Be aware and use common sense ineverything you do during this
holiday season.
Please, leave any comments orsuggestions on any of the
platforms.
You can email me at littlepi777at gmail.

(06:24):
com.
Thank you to all of you who havebeen liking and subscribing,
running our subscriptions up andgrowing us.
would you consider liking,sharing and subscribing?
And you know the drill, hit thatnotification bell for future
posts.
Thank you.
We have great plans for ourchannel and we want it to grow
so we can improve it for thebetterment of you the viewer and

(06:46):
the listener.
Be safe and may God bless youand your family and may God
bless America.