Luigi Mangione has caused a stir on social media after his arrest Monday for the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The 26-year-old – who is being dubbed an “executie” by Gen Z TikTok – was charged with the murder after being taken into custody by police in an Altoona, Pennsylvania, McDonald’s. The unusual facts of the case, including words written on the shell casing and the suspect’s quick escape, captured the minds of onlookers around the world.
When Mangione was named as the suspect, his good looks took the internet by storm. Now, he is trending along with a Britney Spears song from 2011.
The song called “Criminal” has gone viral with photos of Mangione from both before and after his arrest.
The song’s lyrics say: “Mama, I’m in love with a criminal.”
One video with the song and Mangione even made it on an ABC News segment. On X, people can’t get enough of the song. A user wrote with pictures of Mangione: “As the poet Britney Spears once said, ‘But mama I’m in love with a criminal and this type of love isn’t rational, it’s physical.’”
Another said: “Alexa play criminal by Britney Spears.”
A third posted with a shocked face: “Britney Spears seeing that Criminal is randomly charting again.”
Before he was officially charged, people flooded his Instagram with comments about their love for him. That account has since been taken down.
One person wrote: “Smash, next question.”
“Innocent until proven guilty, but u for sure proven sexy,” commented another.
Mangione is a former Ivy league student, frat brother apart Phi Kappa Psi at the University of Pennsylvania and valedictorian of his 2016 High School class at the Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland. His school yearbook revealed he was voted ‘most flirtatious’ in school.
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