The author of a book related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is sparking outrage online after using the shooting to generate sales.
Author Jay Feinman’s 2010 book “Delay, Deny, Defend” describes “why insurance companies don’t pay claims and what you can do about it.”
Attention was drawn to the 14-year-old publication after it was discovered that bullet casings left at Thompson’s murder scene were scrawled with the words “depose,” “deny” and “defend” — very similar to Feinman’s title.
Thompson was shot in the back and calf early Wednesday morning by a masked man who fled on a bicycle, before the CEO succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
When contacted by DailyMail.com for his opinion, Feinman simply replied “no comment.”
But concerns are emerging that Feinman appears to be using the opportunity to drive more sales of the $10.99 bestseller.
“Amazon is being replenished. About a week,” he tweeted in a message on Friday evening.
Just minutes later, he went to X again to plug in the 197-page book.
Author Jay Feinman sparked outrage online when he posted a series of tweets blatantly promoting how his out-of-print work will be restocked by Amazon.
Attention was drawn to the 14-year-old publication after bullet casings left at Thompson’s murder scene were scrawled with the words “depose,” “deny” and “defend.”
“Because people have been asking: postpone, deny, defend, paperback out of stock on Amazon. the only source. Will be restocking soon. Kindle available,” he wrote.
But the tactless approach has drawn criticism online.
“Are you really trying to make a profit off a murder? Bide your time and count your money later,” one person wrote in response.
“Your disgusting, anti-capitalist book that you claim is for good has now been used as a justification for KILLING other people, and now you’re PITCHING it?! The irony is lost on you,” another said angrily.
Feinman is a law professor at Rutgers University. There is nothing to indicate that Feinman had any connection to the attack.
His book explains how the health insurance industry routinely scares claimants with bureaucratic tactics and ultimately never pays out.
On Saturday night, the NYPD released new photos of the healthcare CEO’s killer late Saturday night as the massive manhunt entered its fifth day.
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday morning
The suspect was arrested at 86th Street and Columbus Avenue two minutes after leaving Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
The bag was found by police during their second visit to the park and was placed between boulders just south of the park carousel.
One of the images shows the killer – wearing a new jacket and face mask – crouching in the back of a taxi, while the other sees him outside the vehicle on the road.
The footage appears to have been taken in the taxi that picked him up at 86th Street and Columbus Avenue, two minutes after he left Central Park on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Shocking footage showed the gunman approaching Mr Thompson from a few meters and firing, causing him to fall.
The gunman fired several shots during the ambush, jamming his gun, but managed to quickly clear the obstacle and continue shooting.
After the attacker crossed the road and disappeared from view, Mr Thompson was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.
No arrests have been made yet.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $50,000 reward for information.
Online commentators were quick to point out that the words on the casings resembled insurance terminology and tactics.
One noted difference is that the book’s title has “delay,” while one cover reportedly read “depose.”
As Thompson staggered down the street, a witness in the hotel lobby sprinted away
Police sources told ABC News that shell casings with the cryptic messages on them were found at the scene
United is the largest health insurer in America in terms of market share. They have been the subject of activists’ protests for allegedly systematically denying patients care.
One such protest earlier this year led to the arrest of 11 people outside United Healthcare’s headquarters in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
Thompson was investigated by the Justice Department for antitrust violations and charged with insider trading.
The department launched an investigation into whether the private company unfairly restricted competitors and had a monopoly.
Police sources close to the investigation report this CNN that based on his reactions they believe the shooter was an experienced marksman.
Firearms experts who reviewed the surveillance footage told the station that he responded the way someone with training in law enforcement or the military would be trained to respond to such an issue.
Police had said in their first preliminary statement that the killer escaped to Central Park on an electric bicycle and released a photo of the suspect on a bicycle after the shooting, seen here
Detectives and members of the New York City Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit at the scene where UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed Wednesday
Thompson was said to have been in New York for a conference when he was shot.
His plan was well known, and witnesses said the suspected shooter even knew which door Thompson would exit through before opening fire.
Authorities say the attacker fled on foot before fleeing to nearby Central Park on an electric bicycle.
Paulette Thompson, 51, shared NBC News she was aware that her ex-husband had been threatened.
“There had been some threats,” she said.
‘I don’t know the details. All I know is that he said there were people who had threatened him before his trip to New York, she added.
Mrs. Thompson said she “couldn’t really give a thoughtful answer right now” because she had “just discovered this” and was “trying to comfort (her) children.”
She said police told her it was likely a “targeted attack.”