IN THE PAST, being a serial killer meant either being feared or hated by the general public. It was by no means uncalled for if you were to wish one the death penalty if ever they were found guilty of their crimes.

Now, however, people are making edits of them on TikTok. 

This is, unfortunately, not at all a new trend. It was seen in the release of the Netflix series “Dahmer,” for example, wherein people started finding Jeffrey Dahmer attractive, with others even copying his behavior, as seen in the 2023 case wherein someone used the dating app Grindr to attempt to kidnap and kill an 18-year-old boy.

This adoration and praise came even after the show was criticized by the family of one of Dahmer’s victims, saying that they were making money off of the tragedy. In his lifetime, Dahmer killed 17 people. Despite his crimes, many continue to view him as charming and handsome.

There was also the case of Richard Ramirez in the past, otherwise known as “Night Stalker.” He, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, was a serial killer, rapist, and burglar, who murdered at least 13 people from the years 1984 to 1985. 

Instead of condemning him, however, many people on TikTok are now discussing how good-looking he was, commenting things like “Daddy,” “He’s so cute,” and “Richard is beautiful” under videos of him. 

Many other serial killers have also been romanticized by people on the internet, for some inane reason: Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and now, Wade Wilson.

People even start making theories as to how these people regret what they’ve done (despite never actually showing any real remorse in real life,) or go so far as to try to prove the innocence of these killers. Hell, there are even people rating the most “attractive” serial killers as if they’re celebrities.

The worst part, however, is when people try to justify these killers’ crimes all because they find them hot.

The Wade Wilson case

Labeled by the internet as the “Deadpool Killer,” 30-year-old Wade Wilson was recommended the death penalty after he was convicted of killing two women in 2019. 

According to Fox News, Wilson had strangled a woman named Kristin Melton to death after he’d met her at a bar. On that same day, he beat, strangled, and ran over Diane Ruiz with his car. He also attacked his ex-girlfriend, Mila Montanez, on the same day. 

One video in particular was posted in support of Wilson; it now has over thousands of likes, with the user putting the hashtag “Save Wade Wilson” in the description.

“Please save Wade Wilson, a lot of people want it,” writes one TikTok user under a video of Wilson.

Another says: “Such a beautiful man.”

“A death penalty is too far, he has kids,” another one justifies – even though the women Wilson murdered had kids of their own, as well.

Another writes, seemingly addressed to Wilson himself: “You may not have had parents to care, but we love you and back you up, that you may be forgiven because you are a good man.”

Many have also tried to justify Wilson’s actions by saying that he grew up in a rough household, even though Wilson has accumulated several cases from as early as 13 for drugs, violence, and the like. He also has a swastika tattooed on his face. 

Respect and decency

While people may try to justify this behavior by saying, “I just think they’re attractive,” or “It doesn’t mean that I condone their actions,” it doesn’t change the fact that focusing on something as shallow as a serial killer’s attractiveness trivializes their actions. 

Given how much people are exposed to violence nowadays, suddenly, it seems as if being a serial killer isn’t a big deal. But no matter how much you try to focus on the “lighter” side of things – their looks, their personalities – it doesn’t change the fact that they murdered innocent people who had their whole lives ahead of them, taken away from them just like that. 

Innocent people whose families are still mourning for them, and are still trying to move on despite the years that have passed. Imagine trying to move on after all that has happened when, every day, you see the person who murdered your loved one on every social media app known to man.

Instead of siding with you, however, they are instead calling for them to be set free – just because they’re “hot.”

At present, according to the New York Post, Wilson has been sent over 4, 000 messages in prison; authorities have rejected 163 inappropriate photos sent thus far. His victims, Melton and Ruiz, were 35 and 43, respectively. 

When you meet these victims in the afterlife, I pray to God you are able to look them in the eye.