7 Fugitives who Became Folk Heroes

Last week, in the wake of the arrest of Colton Harris-Moore and his surprising internet fandom, we took a look at what made some criminals into folk heroes in the manner of the legendary Robin Hood. Five factors stood out in case after case. One thing that immediately arises is that factor one, paying back “the man” for unfair treatment, can be experienced vicariously. If the police or the victims of crime can be seen as oppressors to the masses or just having an unfair edge, then it doesn’t matter whether the criminal himself experienced a particular injustice. Let’s see how these factors contributed to the celebrity status of a few more outstanding cases, in this article I wrote for mental_floss.