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Cult followings in support of people accused of violent crimes are popping up across TikTok and other social media platforms

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11832615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cameron-herrin">Cameron Herrin</keyword>, 21, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for vehicular homicide in April.</li><li>A cult fandom has developed around Herrin online.</li><li>Herrin's mother <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/">said</a> that some fans' actions have verged on "unhealthy obsession."</li></ul>The mother of Cameron Herrin, the 21-year-old who was sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide, said that she's received letters, emails, phone calls, and social media attention from supporters of her son, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/Parents-of-teens-in-fatal-Bayshore-crash-described-as-loving-attentive-and-devastated_168742691/">The Tampa Bay Times reported</a>. Some of them, she says, verge on an "unhealthy obsession."In April 2018, Herrin crashed into Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt and her 21-month-old daughter Lillia while speeding, leading to their deaths. <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/Parents-of-teens-in-fatal-Bayshore-crash-described-as-loving-attentive-and-devastated_168742691/">As The Times reported at the time</a>, Herrin, then 18, and his 17-year-old classmate John Barrineau were racing each other.Barrineau pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor racing charge and was sentenced to 6 years in state prison, <a href="https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/bayshore-crash-mom-baby-2018-appeal/67-7bff5c7e-3a45-4eec-a427-f2d4d917b149#:~:text=The%20second%20man%2C%20John%20Barrineau,by%2015%20years%20of%20probation.">according to local CBS affiliate WTSP.</a> Herrin pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2021/04/08/mom-ive-killed-someone-witnesses-recall-bayshore-crash-as-young-driver-faces-sentence/">per The Times</a>. He appealed his 24-year sentence in May, WTSP reported. "It is critical for you to understand that you've created everlasting pain and depths of sorrow," Reisinger-Raubenolt's father, David Raubenolt, said in a statement directed at Herrin during his April 2021 sentencing hearing, <a href="https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/driver-in-2018-bayshore-boulevard-crash-that-killed-mom-baby-sentenced-to-24-years-in-prison">local ABC affiliate WFTS reported.</a> Now, months after his sentencing, a cult fandom has emerged around Herrin online. <a href="https://www.insider.com/cameron-herrin-tiktok-viral-videos-prison-free-too-cute-2021-8">As Insider previously reported</a>, fan accounts have emerged online insisting that he's "too cute" to serve a 24-year sentence. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Cameron-Herrin?lang=en">Content about Herrin on TikTok has amassed over 2.2 billion views</a>, with much of it featuring courtroom footage and images of Herrin. <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/">The Times reported</a> that there's been speculation that some of the accounts involved in Herrin's online fandom may be fake. Experts told The Times that some of the accounts exhibit behavior that could indicate they were inauthentic, but many supporters seem to be genuine and their actions have had ramifications for Herrin's family.Herrin's mother, Cheryl Herrin, told <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/">The Times</a> that some of the support for her son had reached the level of being "almost like an obsession, an unhealthy obsession."According to Herrin's mother, support for her son began with letters and emails after his sentencing in April and they gave her "great comfort." The Times <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/">reported</a> that early letters - dozens of which the outlet obtained - originated from the Tampa Bay area, but also from elsewhere in the US and even countries in Europe.Herrin's mother said that the messages were welcome until they became "scary."In June, the attention increased and began to originate from mostly Arabic-speaking countries, according to The Times. Cheryl told The Times that some supporters "stalked" members of Herrin's family on social media, attacking Herrin's fiancée and hacking her account. Herrin's mother also said that some supporters had called her home in the middle of the night.Per The Times, Herrin's family now avoids the social media fandom around Herrin online with the exception of a smaller, private Facebook group.A phone number and email that appeared to belong to Herrin's mother did not respond to Insider's request for comment.<a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital culture coverage here.</a>

The cult following for Cameron Herrin, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison, sends letters to his mom

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11832615" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cameron-herrin">Cameron Herrin</keyword>, 21, was recently sentenced to 24 years in prison for vehicular <keyword id="6408823" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Homicide">homicide</keyword>.</li><li>A cult following for Herrin offering support has grown on Twitter and <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword>.</li><li>Some followers said Herrin was "too cute" to spend so long incarcerated.</li></ul>In 2018, Cameron Herrin hit a mother and her daughter with his car, killing them. Herrin was <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2021/04/08/mom-ive-killed-someone-witnesses-recall-bayshore-crash-as-young-driver-faces-sentence/">sentenced to 24 years in prison</a> in April after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide. Now a cult following on TikTok is voicing support for him.Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt, 24, and her 20-month-old daughter, Lillia, were crossing the street in Tampa, Florida, when Herrin fatally struck them. Prosecutors said Herrin was participating in a street race and was driving at 100 mph, <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/new-documents-detail-horror-heartbreak-in-bayshore-crash-that-killed-mother-daughter-20190306/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Tampa Bay Times reported</a>.Since his sentencing, fan accounts saying Herrin <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@baderrasker00/video/6980186709661175041" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deserves a second chance</a> have sprung up. Some said he was "too cute" to be incarcerated for so long. Herrin's own TikTok account <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cameronherrinreal?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has 2 million followers</a>, but no content is available to view.<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/discover/Cameron-Herrin?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikToks about Herrin</a> have racked up 2.2 billion views on the platform, while videos with the hashtag <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/justiceforcameron?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#justiceforcameron</a> have been viewed 26.1 million times. The TikToks mostly show Herrin in court, often with footage and stills of him crying. They capture the look on his face when he was sentenced and the moment he lowered his mask to drink some water.Accounts dedicated to Herrin's cause have also appeared on Twitter and Instagram, and <a href="https://www.change.org/p/cameron-herrin-cameron-herrin-21years-old-who-jailed-for-24years-justice-for-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Change.org petition</a> calling to reduce his sentence has been signed over 28,000 times. In a TikTok posted on August 4 with 2.2 million views, Hannah Kosh, who has 594,000 followers, explained that some people believe Herrin's sentence is too harsh and shared some of their comments under various TikToks.One said, "Not a killer," while another said they hoped Herrin would be forgiven because "he looks innocent.""Poor boy," the comment said, adding, "He doesn't do in purpose."Others commented on Herrin's looks, saying "omg his eyess" and "you're too cute." There has been speculation that some of the accounts on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram are bots set up to jump on a trending topic. <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Times reported</a> that some of these accounts appeared to be based in the Middle East and used a mixture of Arabic and English, adding that some online-misinformation experts saw similarities with fake accounts paid to influence campaigns.However, others appear to be genuine. Herrin's mother <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2021/08/05/cameron-herrin-went-to-prison-for-a-tampa-crash-were-the-tweets-that-followed-real/">told the Times</a> that some people seemed to have "an unhealthy obsession" with her son, sending letters and calling her in the middle of the night. She said that while the support was comforting at first, things turned "scary" when people stalked her family members on social media and hacked Herrin's fiancée's accounts.In a court hearing in April, David Raubenolt, Jessica's husband and Lilia's father, spoke publicly about the impact of their deaths and asked the judge to give Herrin the maximum sentence of 30 years. <a href="https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-hillsborough/driver-in-2018-bayshore-boulevard-crash-that-killed-mom-baby-sentenced-to-24-years-in-prison">ABC Action News reported</a> that his testimony lasted 45 minutes, during which he said, "This was a crash, not an accident. Please be aware of that."He added, "I can't get the thought of the entitled monster who killed them. Something happens to me in this room." Addressing Herrin directly, Raubenolt said, "It is critical for you to understand that you've created everlasting pain and depths of sorrow."This isn't the first time people on social media have developed an obsession with a young person facing prison. In May 2020, teenagers made fan Instagram pages for Peter Manfredonia, a 23-year-old University of Connecticut student charged with murder.<a href="https://www.insider.com/peter-manfredonia-connecticut-instagram-teens-fan-pages-suspected-murder-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider's Kat Tenbarge reported</a> that the morbid "stan" accounts seemed to be an ironic in-joke among fans of Nicki Minaj and the controversial social-media star Peaches.<a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.</a>

A cult following for Cameron Herrin has grown on TikTok since he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the deaths of a mother and daughter

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Fans of <keyword id="11971768" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elizabeth-holmes" source="Orion">Elizabeth Holmes</keyword> have turned up to support her in her ongoing court case.</li><li>Holmes, the founder of defunct blood-testing company Theranos, faces multiple fraud charges.</li><li>A small group of online fans praises Holmes as a "girl boss."</li></ul>Three blond women dressed in black <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elizabeth-holmes-lookalikes-theranos-fraud-trial-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waited outside a courtroom</a> to catch a glimpse of their hero on September 9. They were captured in a photo tweeted by <a href="https://www.law360.com/articles/1419618/holmes-fraud-trial-openings-draw-crowds-look-alikes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">journalist Dorothy Atkins</a>, as she reported on the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.Holmes, who dropped out of Stanford at 19 to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-founder-ceo-elizabeth-holmes-life-story-bio-2018-4?r=US&amp;IR=TIR=T">start her blood-testing business Theranos</a>, has been charged with "massive fraud" since the company, which was once valued at $9 billion, was accused of selling its services despite known shortcomings and inaccuracies in its blood-testing technology. Holmes became infamous after journalist John Carreyrou's investigative book "Bad Blood" and several popular podcasts documented Theranos' downfall. She faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.Despite the charges and the trial, some fans online won't stop idolizing Holmes. TikToks with the hashtag #ElizabethHolmes have received 13 million views on the platform, showing people copying her fabled characteristics, such as a wide-eyed expression, low voice, and black turtlenecks. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Unofficial-Elizabeth-Holmes-1687227941512595/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">On Facebook, an unofficial Elizabeth Holmes page</a> has just under 3,000 fans, where people comment messages of support on sporadic, vague status updates. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethHolmesNanotainer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Another unverified account</a> has comments from fans from just three days ago, saying "You go girl! We believe in you!" and "You're brilliant!" Several people have posted messages of congratulations underneath a false status update suggesting Holmes was "cleared of all charges."Holmes fandom is complex, blurring the line between irony and genuine reverence, and even arguing supporting her is a feminist issue.<h2>Holmes' cult following frequently labels her a 'girl boss'</h2>The term "girl boss" was popularized in the 2010s to refer to women who had achieved an aspirational level of professional success. Since the concept was <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2020/01/9044921/girlboss-culture-women-work">called out</a> for a perceived lack of inclusivity and focus on wealth, it has begun to pop up satirically online with Elizabeth Holmes <keyword id="12128421" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="stans" source="Orion">stans</keyword>, <a href="https://www.elle.com/culture/a36806930/elizabeth-holmes-fans-tikt-tok/">dubbed "Holmies" by some observers</a>, using it frequently. An Instagram account called @elizabethholmesupdates asks in the bio "Are you on the right side of herstory?" and posts updates about Holmes and the court case. On September 10, the account shared the photo of the Holmes lookalikes outside the courthouse."In solidarity [with] Elizabeth Holmes put on your best black turtleneck," the caption read. "United we slay, divided we fall."The owner of the account, Annuncia Roberts, told Insider she started the account as a joke for her own <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">entertainment</keyword> after following Holmes for a while."At the core, the situation is almost funny," she said. "I don't know how people fell for her schtick."TikToker <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@crudestoil?">Rania Blaik</a>, who has over 10,000 followers, has posted several videos about Holmes. Her Instagram bio states she is an "Elizabeth Holmes Stan." Last June, she said she went through a phase of posting memes of Holmes, and tagging her as a "girl boss" as a joke. It quickly turned into more than that.By August, she was selling "Elizabeth Holmes is my #GirlBoss" T-shirts on Etsy for $22.25 each.Blaik <a href="https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/girl-boss-bad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told LA Mag</a>, "Having a fraudulent healthcare company with an awful <keyword id="11899151" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="culture" source="Orion">culture</keyword> and simultaneously being named Glamour's Woman of the Year is deeply funny."Blaik's store is no longer active, but there is plenty more <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=elizabeth%20holmes">Holmes merchandise on Etsy</a> in the form of mugs and T-shirts. <h2>'Holmies' may be drawn to the subversive nature of idolizing a female villain</h2>Not all of the idolatry is in jest, however. According to TikToker <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/15/style/serena-shahidi-glamdemon2004-tiktok.html">Serena Shahidi</a>, who has 424,000 followers and frequently posts about Holmes, a woman finding fanfare as a villian is admirable, either ironically or un-ironically.Shahidi told Insider that people love that "there's a woman at the center of it all.""I guess there's empowerment in the idea of having a female villain because that's typically something that's like very taboo," she said. "There is something kind of progressive about the idea that a woman in the <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> isn't playing by anyone's rules." Male villain figures in popular culture have been idolized numerous times. "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli, for instance, who infamously raised the price of HIV and cancer drug Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 a pill, <a href="https://gothamist.com/news/martin-shkreli-forced-to-relocate-fan-meetup-after-being-refused-by-bar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has a fanbase</a>.In August, <a href="https://www.insider.com/cameron-herrin-tiktok-viral-videos-prison-free-too-cute-2021-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a cult following emerged for TikToker Cameron Herrin</a> after he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for vehicular homicide. Film characters such as "The Wolf of Wall Street" Jordan Belfort and "American Psycho" Patrick Bateman are frequently idolized.<h2>Being a Holmes' fan may be a sign of an agreeable personality</h2>Stephen D. Benning, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who specializes in the personality disorder of psychopathy, has a theory about the kinds of people who celebrate those who are widely regarded as having behaved immorally or antagonistically.He told Insider the people who develop attachments to infamous public figures generally score highly in tests of <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/agreeableness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreeableness</a> - defined in psychology as being kind, considerate, and inclusive when dealing with other people."Relatively agreeable people tend to be more likely to want to form these parasocial relationships," he said. "They are people who want to get along with others, and who see themselves smoothing social interactions."People may see themselves in Holmes, Benning said, seeing their own mistakes and hardships in Holmes', which are playing out in public.He said Holmies may think, "If someone so competent as Elizabeth Holmes could be taken advantage of so badly, that might help explain some of the problems that I've had with people taking advantage of me as well."The women who dress up as her may perceive themselves as helping her in some way, he said. This could be because they believe they are picking up subtle signs that she is a good person deep down.<a href="https://www.insider.com/culture">For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.</a>

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has a fandom of 'Holmies' that hail her as a 'girl boss' despite fraud charges

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Cult followings in support of people accused of violent crimes are popping up across TikTok and other social media platforms

Charlotte Colombo

The cult following for Cameron Herrin, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison, sends letters to his mom

Palmer Haasch

A cult following for Cameron Herrin has grown on TikTok since he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for the deaths of a mother and daughter

Lindsay Dodgson

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has a fandom of 'Holmies' that hail her as a 'girl boss' despite fraud charges

Lindsay Dodgson

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