Shane Daley, 40, from Galway, New York, has been charged with cyberstalking after allegedly sending threatening and harassing voicemail messages to family members of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
According to officials, Daley left menacing messages from December 4 to December 7, shortly after Thompson was fatally shot in midtown Manhattan. Prosecutors said Daley’s messages expressed satisfaction over Thompson’s killing and included violent threats directed toward the victim and his children.
Daley’s actions came in the wake of widespread online praise following the murder, which occurred on December 4 near the New York Hilton Midtown. The brutal slaying prompted an intense manhunt across the Northeast.
Daley was released under GPS monitoring and is barred from possessing firearms or consuming alcohol. He is scheduled for another court appearance on Thursday, where further release conditions are expected.
The cyberstalking charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Christopher Raia, assistant director of the FBI’s New York office, condemned Daley’s calls as “more than callous and cold-hearted,” noting the distress caused to a grieving family.
Separately, Luigi Mangione was arrested in connection with Thompson’s murder and faces state and federal charges.
