Insiders Speak Out About the Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Including Detectives & Friends of Thompson & Mangione
Lester Holt Reports for a Special ‘Dateline’ This Friday, June 5 at 10 p.m. ET
June 2, 2026 – Friday’s all-new Dateline at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT will go inside the Luigi Mangione investigation, revealing exclusive new details and insight in the case that continues to captivate the world. For the first time, two NYPD Major Case Squad detectives who worked on the case take Dateline through the lead-up to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the urgent manhunt that followed.
Retired Detective Sergeant John Griffin tells Dateline anchor Lester Holt about his first reaction to seeing the weapon used in the killing: “It had something on the front, like a homemade suppressor or silencer-type thing.” Asked by Holt whether that was common, Griffin responded: “No. In 25 years, I don’t think I’ve ever actually encountered a silencer before that.”
Click here to watch the exchange.
The one-hour special, entitled A Killing in Midtown, also features a member of Thompson’s inner circle speaking publicly about the case for the first time. Jeff Alter, a friend and former colleague, tells Holt about the social media reaction to Thompson’s death. “Social media is fast and cruel, people posting, you know, smiley faces that — that somebody was murdered just — it’s just beyond me,” Alter explained. He added that the response was “really cruel,” particularly for those who knew Brian personally.
Click here to watch the exchange.
A Killing in Midtown also features interviews with people who met Mangione while he traveled, including a pro soccer player in Thailand and a yoga teacher in Hawaii. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the murder.
Lester Holt speaks with Retired Detective Sergeant John Griffin.
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About Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC is the longest-running series in NBC primetime history and is in its 34th season. Dateline is anchored by Lester Holt and features correspondents Blayne Alexander, Andrea Canning, Josh Mankiewicz, Keith Morrison and Dennis Murphy. Airing Fridays at 9/8c, Dateline also airs across NBC, cable and in broadcast syndication, with hundreds of hours available to stream on Peacock’s Dateline 24/7 channel. Dateline 24/7 can also be viewed on channels on Roku, YouTube, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, Local Now, Xfinity, Amazon Fire News App, TuneIn and Xumo. Additionally, the newsmagazine reaches millions through its #1 podcasts and its showcast. Liz Cole is the senior executive producer and Paul Ryan is the executive producer.
For more information, contact:
Dominique Donahue
Liam DahlbornLiam.Dahlborn@nbcuni.com
