“The reaction online is also just such a reinforcement of how much aesthetics, attractiveness, I mean, like, the shallowness of the American people,” she said.

“The clips we were watching at the top of this segment are driven by the fact that this is an attractive person.”

It is not just his appearance that has sparked debate. On Google, internet posters made derogatory reviews about the McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was caught. The reviews were removed by Google.

“This location has rats in the kitchen that will make you sick, and your insurance isn’t going to cover it,” one review said.

Amazon was also forced to remove listings for mugs, hats and jumpers emblazoned with the slogan “delay, deny, depose” – the three words Mangione alleged carved into the shell casings used in the killings that reference a book critical of the private health insurance industry.

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Similar listings have appeared on other online marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy. On TikTok, merchants were selling Christmas jumpers with the message: “Tis the season: Deny. Defend. Depose.” On Etsy, Christmas tree ornaments with the phrase were on offer, The Washington Post reported.

Music-streaming app Spotify said it had been forced to remove playlists making light of the killing that were also illustrated with the face of the alleged shooter taken from CCTV stills. The playlists featured songs such as the James Bond theme Licence to Kill and Do You Hear the People Sing? from the soundtrack of Les Miserables.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said in “some dark corners, this killer is being hailed as a hero”.

“Hear me on this, he is no hero,” Shapiro said. “The real hero in this story is the person who called 911 at McDonald’s.”

with AP, Reuters