*Content warning*
*Victims of mentioned murderers that are not named in the article can be found below*
True crime as a genre has been increasing in popularity since the 1960s — learning about the crimes themselves, the victims, the perpetrators, and even psychological analyses of those who commit heinous acts is, for many people, a key interest. From books and news to film, TV, and podcasts, it seems like there is a constant stream of true crime content, but is it completely ethical to treat it as a form of entertainment?
If I am being completely honest, one of my favorite podcasts is the AudioChuck production Crime Junkie, but I hesitate to call myself a true crime “fan.” Something about the term fan — especially in the context of its origin in the word “fanatic” — feels like an incredibly inappropriate way of describing oneself in relation to these real-world horrors. Learning about the cases is interesting, and spreading the word about cases has, in many situations, been a catalyst for new information and closing cold cases, but these are not simply stories. They are real people, real victims, and incredibly real offenders.
Finding the genre interesting, though, is something that I would consider to be completely separate from those who consider themselves “true crime obsessed.” I mean the type of people who have a “favorite” serial killer, who have fan pages for murderers, and who try to insert themselves into ongoing investigations. When I was in high school, I vividly remember stumbling upon a slew of Tumblr fan accounts for the Columbine shooters — they called them attractive, said they were misunderstood, and defended them of any wrongdoing… and not once did they mention the 13 people that were killed by the shooters. Just a few years later, in 2019, both Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile came out.
It has become clear that 2019 was a turning point for true crime obsessions, and with the impending pandemic, more people than ever were consuming this content. In some ways, I think true crime — and hearing about horrors that others have faced — worked to ease some of the fear that came with COVID-19. When we hear about true crime, most of us are hardwired to think something along the lines of, “This could never happen to me.” It was not just past cases, either. In August 2021, the active case of Gabby Petito garnered huge media attention from anyone and everyone on the internet. From “amateur investigators” to TikTok influencers to passing Twitter and Facebook users, it seemed like every other conversation online made reference to the case.
Ultimately, the point of this article is to bring attention to the fact that true crime is just that — true. They’re not stories to be used as entertainment, and certainly not meant for you to find your next “celebrity crush.” Treating them as such is disrespectful to not only the victims but also the families. Some people would argue that, if the families of the victims are no longer around, it makes it more acceptable, but whether it is Jack the Ripper or Ted Bundy, it is just as distasteful.
As insane as some of the true-crime discourse, content, and “obsession” has been on the internet over the past decade or so, the true culmination happened about three weeks ago. On December 28th, 2024, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison. If you have somehow managed to avoid hearing about her case since it happened in 2015, it essentially boils down to this: Gypsy Rose was a young girl living with her mother, Dee Dee, who suffered from Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome — a behavioral disorder that affects a primary caretaker, usually a mother, causing them to seek attention through fabricated medical stories/symptoms of the child in their care. Due to this disorder, Gypsy Rose suffered through a lot of her childhood — her mother said that she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and more, as well as the fact that she claimed Gypsy was younger than she actually was. Gypsy Rose was not allowed to use the internet but began putting two and two together as she would sneak online. Through her internet use, she met her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. With him, she hatched a plan to murder her mother.
Though Blanchard did not commit the act herself, she was charged with murder and sentenced to eight years in prison. Gypsy Rose’s story has gained popularity in true crime circles over the years, including being the subject of Hulu’s The Act and the documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, but upon her release from prison, something incredibly strange happened. Gypsy Rose Blanchard has become somewhat of an influencer, with many people treating her like a celebrity. They comment things like “slay,” “queen,” and more on her posts and act like her infamy is regular fame. Blanchard has gotten on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms, and is living out the teenage years that she did not get due to her prison sentence.
In just three weeks, she has gained over 8.3 million followers on Instagram and has been fully absorbed into the world of internet fame. The countdowns, the fans, the defenses of her crime — the online world is glorifying someone who is both victim and offender. While it is undeniable that Blanchard suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her mother, and certainly needs support, it is nonetheless incredibly strange to treat her as if she did not conspire to kill her mother. Her “fans” treat her as entertainment, as someone to gawk at, and honestly… they expect her to “perform” for them. And, as sad as it may seem, she continues to do so. Blanchard is someone whose last experience with the internet was almost a decade ago, and even then, she was not able to spend as much time online as the average teen — and now she has been thrust headfirst into a world she knows very little about. It is disgusting.
In short, the romanticization and obsession with true crime is unethical. The lives that have been lost and the victims that have been brutalized are not just content for your next binge-session. They are real people. And we should not be treating them as celebrities or influencers — we should support victims and we should condemn offenders. It truly is that simple.
*List of Victims*
Columbine victims:
– Rachel Scott, 17
– Daniel Rohrbough, 15
– Dave Sanders, 47
– Kyle Velasquez, 16
– Steven Curnow, 14
– Cassie Bernall, 17
– Isaiah Shoels, 18
– Matthew Kechter, 16
– Lauren Townsend, 18
– John Tomlin, 17
– Kelly Fleming, 16
– Daniel Mauser, 15
– Corey DePooter, 17
Ted Bundy victims (though there are believed to be many more):
– Joni Lenz, 18
– Lynda Ann Healy, 21
– Donna Gail Manson, 19
– Susan Rancourt, 18
– Roberta Parks, 20
– Brenda Carol Ball, 22
– Georgeann Hawkins, 18
– Denise Naslund, 18
– Janice Ott, 23
– Nancy Wilcox, 16
– Melissa Smith, 17
– Laura Aime, 17
– Carol DaRonch, 18
– Debra Kent, 17
– Caryn Campbell, 23
– Julie Cunningham, 26
– Denise Oliverson, 24
– Melanie Cooley, 18
– Lynette Culver, 12
– Susan Curtis, 15
– Margaret Bowman, 21
– Lisa Levy, 20
– Kathy Kleiner, 20
– Karen Chandler, 22
– Cheryl Thomas, 21
– Kimberly Leach, 12
Jack the Ripper (canonical) victims:
– Mary Ann Nichols, 43
– Annie Chapman, 47
– Elizabeth Stride, 44
– Catherine Eddowes, 46
– Mary Jane Kelly, 25