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Hybristophilia is a paraphilia involving sexual interest in and attraction to those who commit crimes.^[1] The term is derived from the Greek word hubrizein (ὑβρίζειν), meaning "to commit an outrage against someone" (ultimately derived from hubris ὕβρις, "hubris"), and philo, meaning "having a strong affinity/preference for".^[2]

Many high-profile criminals, particularly those who have committed atrocious crimes, receive "fan mail" in prison that is sometimes amorous or sexual, presumably because of this phenomenon. While less common, the aggressive type of hybristophilia can occur in men with female serial killers. In some cases, admirers of these criminals have gone on to marry the object of their affections in prison.^[3]^[4] In popular culture, this phenomenon is also known as "Bonnie and Clyde syndrome".^[5]

Causes

Some speculations have been offered as to the cause of hybristophilia. Katherine Ramsland, a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University, discusses the condition in females and mentions that some of the women in particular who have married or dated male serial killers have offered the following reasons:^[3]

"Some believe they can change a man as cruel and powerful as a serial killer."
"Others 'see' the little boy that the killer once was and seek to nurture him."
"A few hoped to share in the media spotlight or get a book or movie deal."
"Then there's the notion of the 'perfect boyfriend'. She knows where he is at all times, and she knows he's thinking about her. While she can claim that someone loves her, she does not have to endure the day-to-day issues involved in most relationships. There's no laundry to do, no cooking for him, and no accountability to him. She can keep the fantasy charged up for a long time."

Others offered reasons along the lines of:^[3]

"Some mental health experts have compared infatuation with killers to extreme forms of fanaticism. They view such individuals as insecure people who cannot find love in normal ways or as 'love-avoidant' females who seek romantic relationships that cannot be consummated."

Psychologist Leon F. Seltzer proposes the condition could be related to the riskiness involved with dating a criminal, the desire to tame or fix them, and primitive instincts based on evolutionary psychology. In the latter theory, he mentions dominance is attractive as it would mean such men could protect women and their offspring, according to evolutionary history. Seltzer says women today may consciously realize that it is unwise to date a serial killer, but they are nevertheless attracted to them; he stated, "as a therapist I've encountered many women who bemoaned their vulnerability toward dominant men who, consciously, they recognized were all wrong for them".^[4]

As evidence of women's fantasy preference for dominant men, he refers to the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals about Human Desire by Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam. Seltzer discusses Ogas and Gaddam's argument that this fantasy is the dominant plot of most erotic/romantic books and movies written for women, but the fantasy always holds that this male dominance is conditional, "it doesn't really represent the man's innermost reality". He also says in reality, very few women are actually swayed by these "primitive instincts".^[4]

Women who write love letters to or even pursue men who are incarcerated for a crime are sometimes referred to as a prison groupie.^[6]^[7]

Notable examples

One of the most infamous examples of hybristophilia is the large number of women attracted to Ted Bundy after his arrest.^[8]^[9] He often drew scores of women at the jammed courtrooms of his trials each day.^[10] Bundy allegedly received hundreds of love letters from women while he was incarcerated, and married a woman, Carole Ann Boone, whom he had met while both were working in Washington. He proposed to her in the middle of proceedings while Boone was on the witness stand. Boone gave birth to a daughter whom it was believed Bundy had fathered.^[11]^[12]
Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer, is said to have had amorous women sending him letters, money, and other gifts during his time in prison despite being a gay man and a cannibal.^[13]
Richard Ramirez, the "Night Stalker" who killed 13 people and had "more than a passing interest" in Satanism, had fans who would write him letters and pay him visits. This included Doreen Lioy, who married him in California's San Quentin State Prison on October 3, 1996.^[14] However, Lioy eventually broke ties with Ramirez in 2009 after DNA confirmed he had raped and murdered 9-year-old Mei Leung, though it seems she never legally filed for divorce.
Charles Manson's fangirls are also examples.^[15]
Terrorists such as Ted Kaczynski,^[16] Timothy McVeigh, Anders Behring Breivik,^[17] and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev^[18] have also been the objects of hybristophilia.
School shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold have been notable for being posthumously subjected to hybristophilia.^[19]
Karla Homolka, a serial killer who acted as an accomplice to her husband Paul Bernardo, is considered to be a hybristophile by some forensic psychiatrists.^[20]
Jeremy Meeks following his 2014 arrest for felony weapon charges, went viral on Facebook for his appearance in his mugshot. After his release, he became a fashion model.^[21]^[22]