Shortly after police announced that they had detained 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the internet exploded into a frenzy.
“The manhunt has now ended with investigators declaring ‘too hot to convict,'” wrote one user on X. The post featured photos of Mangione taken from his social media profiles.
“The healthcare CEO assassin Luigi Mangione is soooo HOT,” wrote another user.
“Luigi Mangione got the full package, free him,” said another.
Luigi Mangione, seen in photos from his LinkedIn and X profiles. Luigi Mangione, seen in photos from his LinkedIn and X profiles. LinkedIn / X
New York prosecutors filed a murder charge against Mangione late Monday, accusing him of killing Thompson, 50, while the executive was on his way to an annual investor conference in midtown Manhattan last week. Mangione also faces forgery and weapons charges in Pennsylvania in connection with the high-profile case that captured national attention.
Mangione’s surging online fan base, meanwhile, is the latest iteration of a well-worn phenomenon.
While he was never charged with murder, Jeremy Meeks, a former member of the Crips gang, was among the more recent felons to garner viral fame over his appearance, earning nicknames like “hot convict” and “mug shot hottie” after he was arrested in 2014 and police released his mugshot to the public.
Jeremy Meeks, the so-called “hot felon” in a booking photo from 2014 that went viral. Jeremy Meeks, the so-called “hot felon” in a booking photo from 2014 that went viral. Stockton Police via Getty Images
The mugshot quickly spread, spawning hashtags like #hotfelon and #FelonCrushFriday. Meeks, who was convicted on felony weapons charges, looked so smoldering in the mugshot that he scored a modeling contract with White Cross Management while he was still behind bars.
Even the New York Times gushed over his jawline, cheekbones and “baby blue eyes” in an op-ed titled, “Our Love Affair With the Mug Shot.”
Meeks was previously convicted for grand theft in 2002, and he was released from prison in 2016 after serving a 13-month sentence on the weapons charges.
Then there’s Ted Bundy, arguably the most prolific serial killer in modern American history.
Bundy confessed to raping and murdering 30 women before his execution in 1989, although law enforcement officials believe the number is much higher.
But the allegations against Bundy didn’t stop him from amassing a vast fanbase that included women — known as “groupies” — who showed up to the courtroom during his trial dressed like his victims, so they could look more appealing to him. And that was before the internet era.
Bundy married one of his admirers, Carole Ann Boone, in 1980 after he was convicted of murder. Boone gave birth to their daughter while Bundy was on death row, and the couple divorced in 1986.
Theodore Bundy, shown here after Leon County Sheriff Ken Katsaris informed him of his indictment by the Leon County Grand Jury, July 28, 1978. Theodore Bundy, shown here after Leon County Sheriff Ken Katsaris informed him of his indictment by the Leon County Grand Jury, July 28, 1978. Associated Press
Mangione, meanwhile, has drawn continued attention for his appearance after being identified as the suspect in Thompson’s fatal shooting.
Actor Jonathan Van Ness, known for his role on the Netflix series Queer Eye, wrote on social media that the show “is all about giving life back to our modern day heroes. And I feel like season 10 should be solely dedicated to Luigi Mangione, no?”
“He really doesn’t need a makeover but you all could def help him break down some complicated emotions!” one user replied to the post.
Van Ness responded: “Yes this part, I would not touch those gorg curls. Well maybe just refresh them. But the brows, would never touch.”
Several people also compared Mangione’s appearance to that of actor Dave Franco and speculated about Franco being cast to play Mangione in a film adaptation of the case.
“Dave Franco pick up the phone,” one user wrote on X.
“somewhere ryan murphy’s ears perked up and his mouth started drooling,” another user wrote, referring to the director and producer known for his film adaptations of real-life events. “he has already picked up a pen and has texted netflix an idea.”
“See the shirtless pic?” a user wrote on one subreddit for the gay community. “Wow.”
“Not him. He was with me the whole time. I’ll swear to it,” a second person joked. Someone else weighed in: “I don’t know that a jury would actually convict him. I couldn’t.”
Mangione was seen being ushered into his extradition hearing in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon, where he shouted at the media as police officers pushed him toward the building.
“It is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people and its lived experience!” he yelled. It was unclear what, exactly, he was referring to.
Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10, 2024 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Suspected shooter Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing December 10, 2024 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
When police identified Mangione as a “strong person of interest” on Monday morning, they said that a three-page handwritten document was found on the 26-year-old when he was apprehended.
The document expressed “ill will toward corporate America,” Joseph Kenny, the chief of detectives at the New York City Police Department, said at a news conference on Monday.
CNN cited a law enforcement source as saying that the author of the documents apologized for “any strife or trauma,” but added: “These parasites had it coming.”
The New York Times also cited a senior law enforcement official who said the manifesto found on Mangione mentioned UnitedHealthcare by name and noted the size of the company and how much money it makes. The official added that the document condemned the healthcare industry for prioritizing profits over care.
Newsweek reached out to Mangione’s lawyer for comment on Tuesday.
