The recent arrest — and media glorification — of a murderer has shed light on an uncomfortable issue.
True crime or sports fans, you’ve probably heard of the Menendez brothers and Luigi Mangione. However, if you’re active on social media, you’ve also most likely seen the content that, without background context, could convince anyone that Mangione and the Menendez brothers are teen heartthrobs and not infamous murderers.
The shooting of Brian Thompson, the CEO of insurance company United Healthcare, on Dec. 4, 2024, was covered in almost every news company in the days following the assassination, but on TikTok and other platforms, the coverage continues to be all about the criminal, his looks specifically, instead of the crime.
The Netflix original series “Monsters” was released on September 21 and quickly became popular, especially among teenagers. The Menendez brothers’ case is well-known on its own, however, the increase in viewers is partly due to the media’s promotion of the brothers themselves – and that includes both handsome actors Nicholas Chavez and Cooper Koch and the real criminals, Lyle and Erik Menendez.
Both Mangione and Lyle and Erik Menendez have been glorified through social media – specifically TikTok. Videos praising the men’s looks and dismissing their actions have circled around the platform, especially following recently released information about Mangione’s case.
A junior boarder, fan of the Menendez brothers show and active TikTok user says that social media has only strengthened the focus on the criminals’ appearances.
“I do think that some other people, especially on social media like TikTok justify their [the Menendez brothers’] crimes or just forget about them because of their looks,” she says.
In regards to Luigi Mangione, the boarder said, “I don’t know much about him but I’ve seen so many TikTok edits of him that are only emphasizing his looks and not looking at the bigger picture. I know there’s a lot of different reasonings for the things the Menendez bros. and Mangione did but I don’t think it’s right to pretend they didn’t commit murders just because they’re attractive, which is what a lot of people on TikTok are doing.”
