The internet thirsting over "hot" criminals is as ridiculous as it gets

Social media has a way of turning the serious into the surreal, and the recent uproar surrounding Luigi Mangione is a prime example. The 26-year-old, detained as a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson, has once again thrust the internet’s fascination with “hot criminals” into the spotlight.

While the charges against Luigi remain unclear, it’s his “attractive” looks that have ignited an entirely different trial in the court of public opinion. Within hours of his mugshots surfacing online, Luigi’s social media profiles became ground zero for a fresh wave of thirsting and meme-making. His Twitter following skyrocketed, and Instagram saw many followers leaving comments ranging from "Innocent until proven hot" to "Lock me up with him." 

Soon, sleuthing internet detectives took it upon themselves to unearth every scrap of Luigi's digital history. Old Facebook photos of him at the beach, Halloween pictures, and a particularly brooding high-school yearbook photo were all resurrected and captioned with phrases like, "Luigi Mangione lookalike contest in my room tonight" and "Someone my age is hot and a successful assassin and I am making PowerPoint presentation." Things took an even stranger turn as fans tracked down Luigi’s Spotify account. Playlists featuring Clairo, Taylor Swift, and Lana Del Rey fueled their theories about his personality. Some even went so far as to decode his birth chart, speculating that his “Taurus sun with a Virgo moon” placement explains how he’s been plotting the shootout.

But, this isn't an isolated phenomenon. The Menendez brothers, Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and even the infamous "Hot Felon" Jeremy Meeks have all, at some point, been subjects of a strange cultural fascination. From fan mail to dedicated social media accounts and fan cams with Nicki Minaj playing the background, society's fixation on these individuals often blurs the line between condemnation and attraction. What fuels this strange attraction? Is it our fascination with danger? A tendency to romanticise rebellion? Or is it something darker—a collective narrative that rewrites criminal acts into compelling, even seductive stories? By exploring the psychology and media trends behind this fixation, we might uncover why the world can't seem to look away from the faces of crime. 

The psychology behind this attraction

According to Avani Datta, a forensic expert based out of Delhi, “Serial killers like Ted Bundy and Charles Manson often exhibit a strange charisma that draws people in. They are master manipulators who project only what they want others to see—appealing, confident, and even likeable. For certain people, this can be incredibly alluring.” 

Datta adds that these killers often craft compelling backstories that play into their public persona. “When a criminal shares a narrative of suffering or trauma, people sometimes use it to justify their crimes. It creates a psychological loophole where fans feel they understand the killer’s pain, excusing their actions in the process.”

This fascination is further fueled by the way media and pop culture frame these stories. Aryaan Misra, host of the Desi Crime Podcast, explains, “Media doesn’t just report on these figures; it mythologies them. Ted Bundy is remembered as the ‘charming killer,’ and Charles Sobhraj is seen as a suave globetrotter. These narratives overshadow the victims and turn the criminals into cultural icons.”

 

Aishwarya Singh, co-host of the Desi Crime Podcast, points out how this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to Western criminals. “When we covered Sukumara Kurup’s case, it became clear that how the media portrays these criminals can shift public perception entirely. Kurup, for example, is seen as a mysterious outlaw rather than a cold-blooded murderer. This framing changes the way people remember him.”

The role of social media has amplified this glamorisation, turning crime into shareable content. Luigi Mangione’s mugshot, for instance, became a springboard for memes and online speculation. Vedika Sukhatme, a psychologist, notes that this sense of familiarity, created by engagement on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, makes criminals feel accessible and even relatable. “Engaging with criminals or their stories gives fans a high-stakes narrative to follow. This sense of involvement, paired with sensationalised content, perpetuates the trend.”

 

Aryaan Misra also highlights how humour and crime have unexpectedly merged on social media. “Around the time of any Netflix docu-release, Instagram is rife with memes and reels that portray the particular true crime, the particular case in a manner that is not one befitting a crime. For example, you will have jokes about, you know, people hanging from trees around Burari, or jokes about what’s going to be in your next meal regarding Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case. Thriller and comedy, while opposites, somehow coexist in these narratives, which is why it’s very important to know what the ethical limitations are of these stories. At the end of the day, you’re laughing at somebody’s loss.”

 

Aishwarya Singh adds that while true crime narratives must address the criminal’s actions, they should also probe societal factors that enable such violence. The rise of public fascination with criminals like Luigi Mangione, Ted Bundy, or Sukumara Kurup reflects how we consume crime stories today. Whether driven by this fascination with danger, rebellion, or media sensationalism, this often blurs the lines between empathy, entertainment, and glorification. As Misra succinctly puts it, “Navigating that line is critical.”

Lead Image:  Netflix

Also Read: Enjoyed Watching Delhi Crime, 20 Similar True Crime Shows to Stream RN!

Also Read: Cosmo India's favourite "men written by women"