In a strange turn of events following the shooting of Brian Thompson‚ UnitedHealthcareʼs CEO in midtown-Manhattan‚ merchants rushed to profit from evidence left at crime scene. The three-word phrase “Deny‚ Defend‚ Depose“ — discovered on bullet casings near the incident spot became an unexpected merchandise trend
Various items featuring this message started showing up at craft-fairs and online shops (including eBay‚ Etsy and Amazon) before investigators could even name a person-of-interest in the case. The merchandise line-up includes:
- Wine tumblers
- Baseball caps
- Pint glasses
- Sweatshirts
The rapid commercialization of evidence from an active criminal case shows how fast modern-day merchants react to high-profile events; turning investigation details into profit-making opportunities without waiting for case resolution