Since BT was killed near entrance of Hilton I always thought that at moment of murder BT was going from the hotel he was staying to Hilton.
After rewatching the CCTV of the murder, I noticed that while he was killed near entrance, he actually already walked past the doors when he was hit.
See the red lines I drew on the right. I believe that was the end of door so he did walk past the doors at this point and I dont see from his body positioning that he was about to turn
Below is the clear view of this entrance, You see that woman on CCTV is standing next to wall and according to that I drew approximate positions of her and BT which shows he wasnt planning to use this entrance
Now I know that there is the main entrance on 6th Avenue but I cant come up with logical explanation why he would have to use specifically that one. Even if he needed to be there, he could have just made his way from inside the hotel
EDIT: This is not a loading zone! This is an entrance. In a news coverage video here you can see ordinary people using it as entrance
Next thing on the street after the entrance there is a bar that belongs to Hilton but on their website I found it is closed during that time of the day
I know this might be me nitpicking but I think it is important to keep facts straight and according to my logic BT was not going into Hilton or at least he was not using this entrance
Now according to my pure speculation I think he was planning to meet someone and in bigger picture I think the murder is related to accusations of insider trading and fraud
FINAL EDIT: This entrance might be used by belhoppers and loading but it is also used by public. Verified by videos on news. However as some said it might have been closed at 6 am (wish someone could go to NYC and verify) or I might have underestimated the ego of CEOs who would make it a point to enter through main entrance. I wont be deleting the post of course, since fruitful discussions occurred in the comments
Wait this is a fantastic observation. How did the sh***er know BT was going to walking by that exact location at that time if BT wasn't planning on entering the Hilton in the first place?
I find it pretty implausible that the shooter lucked upon Brian Thompson at the right moment . In other threads people have been discussing the timeline and it’s very tight , the shooter did not wait around long. Shooter was waiting at the exact right position at the perfect time, shooter had to have had further info on Brians footing that morning.
He was planning on going to the Hilton. You need to enter through the main entrance, not the loading zone. The sh**ter had to know where he was staying (the Marriott) and know the route you need to walk to the main entrance of the hotel. There is no question BT was on his way to the main entrance. There was an investors meeting he was attending that actually went on for a while despite him being absent. 54th street has less activity than 6th avenue, so less potential witnesses.
It is a loading zone, it’s where people pull cars up and bellhops come out and load your luggage onto carts. It’s where delivery trucks bring deliveries too.
The entrance can be used at certain points of the day (it’s not always unlocked) but people using that loading zone entrance would typically be guests checking into the hotel or people going directly to the restaurant. I’m not sure the door would even be unlocked that early in the morning.
When an event is occurring at this particular hotel though, there are usually instructions on entering and how to get where you’re going. It is extremely common for the invite to say “enter lobby at 6th avenue”.
It is not weird that a rich ceo would be entering the main lobby where all his rich friends would be.
Navigating through the hotel on that side entrance would be much more inconvenient than walking a few feet up and going directly into the lobby.
I dunno why I’m being downvoted but that’s not a main entrance, it’s a loading zone. You can even see the loading zone signs. When a conference or event is held at the 6th avenue Hilton, you are directed to enter through the lobby. I’ve done trade shows here, so I’ve entered that building many times. You have to go in the main entrance.
Thx! Looking at that video again, I note that the shooter has a distinctive gait. Duck-toed, and his heels come close together between each step. Have people found any video of LM seen walking from behind and compared LM’s gait to the gait to the sh00ter’s?
Now I know that there is the main entrance on 6th Avenue but I cant come up with logical explanation why he would have to use specifically that one.
I'm not familiar with this hotel specifically, but in general, many places that stay open 24/7 lock all their side doors except for the main entrance over night for safety reasons and because they have limited staff. He was shot at 6:45AM. It would be interesting to know if this Hilton did that.
I’ve made other comments on this post, those doors are a loading zone. They’re not meant for the general public and are locked at most times. They are for bellhops and truck deliveries.
Source: I have coordinated multiple events at this hotel for wholesale jewelry shows. I made the invitations that state “enter through main lobby on 6th avenue”
ETA I’m not wording this correctly and I apologize. The doors can be used by the general public at certain points of the day, but it is not where you would enter as a ceo for a conference. Using that entrance would be more typical of someone checking in with a car full of luggage, someone who’s going back to their room or someone going to the restaurant.
A ceo would absolutely be using the main entrance. It’s more convenient for where they are going and doesn’t take any more time to walk to from outside. It’s prettier and less hectic.
I’m so glad you observed this too! I read that there was a breakfast scheduled for 7am. From my time in corporate America those usually take place in a conference room and are catered by the hotel, but is it possible that it was scheduled within the bar area? Hopefully as the case gets started (or sooner) we can get a snapshot of his day and also find out who he engaged with that morning.
It looks like others cleared up why he was walking past the entrance but I always thought it was odd, though, that BT wasn’t just staying at the Hilton. It’s a hotel. Where was he staying if not there? And how would the shooter have known he wasn’t staying at the Hilton? If I was the suspect, I would have just assumed he was staying there for the conference unless I had specific info otherwise telling me he would be walking in from the street.
Not to mention, he made a Starbucks run 3 blocks away like 15 minutes before hand after being out there for an hour “waiting” and walking around. Why risk leaving the scene and missing him? And then, according to the complaint he was basically in position and waiting for BT less than 10 minutes before BT actually walked by. So it kind of seems like he knew he had time for a Starbucks run. But also, then I question why he felt the need to go out there an hour beforehand just to walk around and wait when it’s 30° outside in December? But then leave the scene so close to the encounter and go 3 blocks away for a couple granola bars and some water? Strange.
He was staying at the Marriott, just a couple blocks away. The doors he is walking past here are the loading zone. Events at the Hilton are directed to enter through the lobby a block up from here. He’d have to walk past these doors to get to the lobby/main entrance. The doors you see in these photos are for truck unloading and luggage service. I keep getting downvoted but I’ve literally worked at this hotel for events.
It’s a block and a half to the main entrance of the hotel, which is commonly referred to as a “couple blocks”. It’s around the corner. “Marriot affiliate” is owned by Marriot. Calling it by its parent name really isn’t misinformation and that’s how it’s been reported by many sources including checking AI.
I think you’re just trying to argue and come up with some conspiracy theory, when, in reality, it’s not weird at all to use the main entrance. It would have taken no more time to walk to the main entrance, cutting through the hotel is inconvenient. I’m from NY, I’ve worked at this hotel for events. I know how it works.
Yes, people can use that side entrance but it’s more convenient for guest checking in out of a car or people going directly to the restaurant. The doors are not unlocked 24 hours a day.
Thank you for your input! I believe you. I still wonder how the suspect would have known BT wasn’t just staying at the Hilton unless he had some other info to know he was going to be walking outside from the Marriott. And the timing seems incredibly accurate.
I agree, although the timelines in several news articles I’ve seen (the time is omitted in the NY federal indictment) state that he was seen in Starbucks at 6:15/6:17am, about 30m before the 6:44/6:45am shooting. One of the articles states that the timeline information was received from the NYPD.
Still odd to walk three blocks away ~30m in advance. My best explanation for now is that he knew he had to keep moving to avoid looking suspicious, and he must have had precise information about the route and timing of the CEO’s movements that morning. I find it impossible to believe the suspect obtained that precise info through “social engineering,” per the alleged “to the feds” document.
(Edit to remove the spelled-out version of the word “ltr,” since it prompted a bot reply.)
I didn’t feel like arguing so I deleted my comment but when I googled floor plans several show it as a side entrance, an older map says “ballroom entrance” too. Maybe you need a key / limited hours but it seems to be an entrance not a loading dock
Thx, very helpful! Your clear image of the entrance is especially helpful because Google StreetView has a large panel truck blocking most of the view.
Not sure if it affects your analysis, but based on a WaPo article that refers to the scene of the shooting as being near the a “westernmost” entrance to the Hilton (and poking around on StreetView), I believe there’s a second, “easternmost” entrance to the Hilton on 54th Street. Just inside the glass doors for this second entrance is a lit-up sign with orange lettering for a hair salon called “Spiff“ or “Spiff54.” The awning and other architectural elements of this entrance match those of the “westernmost” entrance (the scene of the shooting) that you discuss and show in your clear image. (Google Maps doesn’t show Spiff; you only see it in StreetView.)
Still begs the question why BT walked past the first, closest entrance to the Hilton. It could be that, if his breakfast meeting or the conference (whatever his first interior destination) was located further east inside the building, he preferred to keep himself crisp, fresh and professional-looking for the conference by walking outside. In summer, he’d have wanted to immediately dive into the AC, but in winter it can help to “refrigerate” yourself by walking outside as much as possible.
And I think “nitpicking” the facts is a good thing in true crime, especially in this case, where the timeline and a host of other facts are already failing to add up.
BT probably wanted to go to the main entrance and not the side. To be honest, the side entrance doesn’t stand out much to look like an actual entrance.
Regarding the second question about how the shooter knew about when BT was leaving his hotel, I believe he received info of that from the phone call 15 minutes prior to the shooting.
To your edit, this is a loading zone. Please do not spread misinformation. I never said you can’t use this entrance. You can, but it is a loading zone, it’s a busy area for workers in the hotel. It’s not always unlocked. It’s full of luggage carts and right near giant bathrooms and a storage room.
It is not where a ceo would enter a NYC hotel for a conference. Maybe he would check in there if he were a guest with a driver… but when you are invited to an event at the Hilton, you are usually instructed to enter the lobby on 6th avenue.
Brian Thompson was a rich ceo, of course he wanted to enter the gorgeous lobby and not navigate through the twists and turns of a hotel filled with luggage carts and people going to the bathroom/eating, where deliveries could be coming in.
There is a cut through before the end of the block that brings you into the grand entrance. It wouldn’t have taken less time to enter loading zone.
You see how it says “motor entrance”, it’s an entrance hotel workers use for vehicle loading and unloading. It’s a work area, not somewhere a CEO would enter a Hilton.
I agree the doors are locked often which is why he’d go to Main entrance. I said that before. I agree it’s a “loading zone”, so is the main entrance. That’s also a “loading zone”. It’s not a “loading dock”. Guests can enter, it is an alternate entrance. It was likely locked that early. I saw this weeks ago already discussed and can’t find
I think you're off. That sign and the large planter that's on the sidewalk in your second pic, is actually ahead of him in the CCTV - so he hadn't reached the doors yet. I think the woman is next to the wall before the doors.
Ok I just saw a different angle of the CCTV and you're right it does show him walking past those doors. Now if there's a different way he was gonna get in I don't know.
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u/vi_sinclair01 1d ago
Wait this is a fantastic observation. How did the sh***er know BT was going to walking by that exact location at that time if BT wasn't planning on entering the Hilton in the first place?