In relation to its entertainment value, true crime dramas call into question the morality of being entertained by depravity and inhumane acts. However, in this iteration of feeling for a felon, we could consider that Luigi Mangione, suspected of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, “ate the rich” in a time where everyday people are experiencing the structural violence of capitalism, thus endearing him to the public.
In the wake of Thompson’s assassination, grainy surveillance camera footage captured the alleged assassin, now identified as Luigi Mangione, smiling at a front desk employee at a New York City hostel. Since the release of the stills, it should come as no surprise that his looks inspired a deluge of thirst posts, a look-alike contest and fancasts of a young Dave Franco, much to the actor’s surprise.
"I've never received more texts in my life about anything," – #Together star Dave Franco on the flood of messages he's received from people wanting him to play Luigi Mangione pic.twitter.com/s9A9pcPRJN
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 25, 2025
Hollywood-sanctioned thirsting
Fawning over men who abuse and/or kill other people is nothing new. The trials of serial killer Ted Bundy were notoriously frequented by women who wanted to be romantically involved with him. The same can be said for Jeffrey Dahmer. With the accessibility and anonymity of social media, thirsting over a criminal online is a predictable evolution of this behavior. Hence the fancam edits of Zac Efron in his role as Bundy or Evan Peters for his portrayal of Dahmer.
Could we attribute this behavior to the rise, normalization and desensitization of the true crime genre? Arguably, yes. The dramatization of criminal acts in Hollywood true crime film and television supports hybristophilia, “the phenomenon of an individual being sexually aroused by a criminal offender,” according to Dr. Melissa Matuszak.
@delusionalgirldiaries Luigi Mangione edit 😍 #luigimangione #edit #bae #luigi #shirtless #abs ♬ Criminal - Britney Spears
However, killers like Dahmer and Bundy are easy to dismiss as horrible men who should not be considered as the object of any “normal” person’s desire. Their crimes were gruesome and protracted, their victims suffered and from that suffering the killers are believed to have derived pleasure.
Surprise over Luigi Mangione sympathizers
At the federal level, Mangione is being held on a criminal complaint as prosecution reviews evidence to secure an indictment by February 17, 2025. Charges against Mangione include “one count of using a firearm to commit murder…one count of interstate stalking resulting in death…one count of stalking through use of interstate facilities resulting in death…and one count of discharging a firearm that was equipped with a silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence.”
Meanwhile, at the state level, the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has charged Mangione with “murder as an act of terrorism‚” and a New York grand jury has indicted the alleged killer. During that period of court proceedings and appearances, Mangione was marched about as if he were the ultimate villain straight out of a Gotham City comic story, according to MSNBC’s Symone Sanders Townsend.
@msnbc Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was extradited to New York to face federal charges. @The Weekend on MSNBC’s @Symone Sanders Townsend and Michael Steele say the case has been sensationalized, and it's "not a movie." #luigimangione ♬ original sound - MSNBC
But we could argue that the powers that be didn’t anticipate so many people being empathetic towards Mangione. This accused killer is believed to be a “man of the people,” for his implied beliefs criticizing the healthcare industry. He’s been dubbed as something of an Ivy-League Robin Hood.
Mangione piqued the interest of the general public — many of whom are equally frustrated with America’s healthcare system and the insurance companies who profit from it.
One man on 60secondtalkshow argued, “Violence isn’t always the answer, but I think you should absolutely make rich people scared.” When elaborated saying, “If I become rich off of the exploitation of poor people, you can make me scared…go ahead and kill me.”
Beyond this, the idea that Mangione murdering a CEO could be escalated to an act of terrorism instead of murder in the first degree has brought up questions for the general public. TikTok user Kassie Jo questioned why Mangione was charged with terrorism-related crimes while the now-pardoned January 6 insurrectionists were not.
Interestingly, the two incidents are similar in certain ways. According to the United States Capitol Police, “Officer Brian D. Sicknick passed away due to injuries sustained while on-duty.” Those injuries were dealt by individuals who sought to overturn the 2020 election result that saw former President Trump lose to former President Biden, an injustice in the eyes of Trump’s supporters.
Meanwhile, Mangione is accused of killing the UnitedHealth CEO to highlight the predatory business practices of the healthcare industry, which he perceived as an injustice.
In conclusion, Luigi Mangione has raised a number of questions for American society. From one perspective, he is an alleged murderer. Another perspective is that Brian Thompson’s professional decisions resulted in deaths too. While it’s unclear what the outcomes of Luigi Mangione’s trial will be, the commentary around this particular instance of violence has been met with jokes, justifications and empathy.