Why having a crush on Luigi Mangione is a problem, according to psychologists

Luigi Mangione's name has become social media's hottest topic overnight, after it emerged that he had been charged with murder after the fatal shooting of United Healthcare's chief executive, Brian Thompson, in New York City.

But it wasn't the nature of the accusations that had everyone talking - it was his chiselled jawline, dark hair, wealthy background, Ivy League graduate status, and abs to boot.

In the days after police issued a 'wanted' photo, lookalike contests were held across the Big Apple, and social media platforms rife with commentary about how users would "forgive" him, should he be found guilty of the crime.

"Menendez brothers move over, Luigi is about to take the girls by storm", one TikToker joked in a video.

ABC News

Meanwhile, a user on X got over 75,000 likes after posting "Me liking all the Luigi Mangione thirst tweets" on the platform.

"Luigi Mangione is an Ivy League, comic book reading, Pokémon loving, Carly Rae Jepsen listening, weightlifting Italian American... this man was genetically engineered in a lab specifically for me", another chimed in.

On X alone, there are over 909,000 posts about the 26-year-old, who has since become the platform's top trending topic.

In fact, the conversations around Mangione being the key suspect are so light-hearted, it's almost easy to forget that United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, was murdered as a result, with his family now left to bear witness to the unexpected response.

According to psychologists, taking such a laidback approach to topics like this one could be problematic beyond a simple online trend, and we could actually be desensitising ourselves to the seriousness of such crimes.

"Research with 'mock' jurors has found that attractive people are less likely to be found guilty than unattractive people, and also typically they are punished less (with more lenient sentences being imposed)", says, Prof Craig Jackson, Professor of Occupation Health Psychology at Birmingham City University.

Luigi Mangione

"Countless memes have emerged commenting on the suspect's looks, boldness and how he had seemed to even outsmart the authorities - immediately becoming a poster boy for those who feel disaffected and left out - he was avenging the little guy against corporate America - something which took hold.

"Citizens are so far removed from the realities of extreme violence that such tragedy becomes content to them - ripe for commenting on."

He adds of what this could mean for Mangione: "I suspect if this case goes to jury trial, that will pose a huge problem for the prosecutors give the publicity the accused has received so far."

The concern for professionals is that this could not only impact any potential trial that arises, but also inspire copycat killings - which have been seen through famous cases including the Zodiac Killer, and a number of school shootings inspired by the Columbine massacre.

"The danger in this case is that the suspect has made this killing look cool. If found guilty, he accomplished a daring bold attack in the centre of Manhattan and got away with it for a few days. This, and the positive attention he has received online will now make this type of crime seem like an attractive option for those people who may have been considering this as an option for themselves", Professor Jackson says.

NYPD

"Copycat violence is well-understood, and the reporting of this case will make other attacks by those who want to get attention highly likely."

With social media and near-instant updates to cases becoming more accessible too, the case of Mangione for many can imitate what it would be like to live inside a film, without having to actually be involved, or feel any consequence. We witnessed a similar trend with Wandsworth Prison escapee, Daniel Khalife. The 22-year-old former British soldier was guilty of spying for Iran, and allegedly left a fake explosive device on his desk.

However, when he made a Robin Hood-esque escape from his cell and went on the run for three days, it prompted social media to applaud the bravery of the baby-faced fugitive.

"Such levity and dark humour surrounding killers were not present around other earlier assassins such as John Hinckley (Reagan, 1981) or Mark Chapman (Lennon, 1980)", Professor Jackson adds.

ABC

"Some might say that laughing at such horrors helps to diminish them and make them less frightening - when the media attention just has the opposite effect - it makes extreme gun violence more likely to be repeated by those who are lonely and desperate for attention.

"That motive behind extreme violence almost 60 years has not gone away, and being labelled by the internet as sexy, accomplished, or attractive probably intensifies it more."

The Mangione family have since responded, insisting they are "shocked" by Luigi's arrest, adding: “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved."

No possible motive has been released.

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.