ANew York state man was chargedwith stalking and harassing loved ones of slain UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, authorities said Wednesday. Shane Daley, 40, was arrestedand accused of "sending harassing and threatening voicemail messages to a family member" of Thompson, according to federal prosecutors in Albany. They said the menacing calls were made from Dec. 4 to Dec. 7 in the hours just after Thompson was gunned down in midtown Manhattan. "In a series of voicemail messages, Daley used threatening and harassing language that focused on, among other things, Thompson's killing, expressed satisfaction over the fact and manner of his death, and stated that the victim and Thompson's children deserved to meet the same violent end," prosecutors said in a statement. Thompson's slaying sparked waves of callous praise onlineimmediately after the shooting. Daley is from Galway, New York, about 35 miles northwest of Albany, the state capital. Daley's attorney Samuel Breslin, declined comment. No one picked up the phone on Wednesday afternoon at publicly listed phone numbers for Daley and his parents. Daley was released from custody under GPS monitoring and prohibitions against possessing firearms or consuming alcohol, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors said. Daley is scheduled to appear in court again Thursday afternoon, when additional conditions of his release are expected to be added, the spokesperson said. The cyberstalking charge carries a maximum term of five years in prison, officials said. Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York office, said Daley's calls were "more than callous and cold-hearted." "They were threatening and terrified a family already suffering following the violent death of their loved one," he said. Thompson wasgunned down at about 6:44 a.m. on Dec. 4 on Sixth Avenue, near the New York Hilton Midtown, touching off a massive manhunt throughout the Northeast. Luigi Mangione was arrested on Dec. 9 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and brought back to New York City wherehe's facing both stateandfederal charges.
