Manny Lopez Allegedly Forced Luka Magnotta to Commit Heinous Crimes
Updated Dec. 19 2019, 1:45 p.m. ET
By now, you've most likely heard a thing or two about Luka Magnotta — the former model and convicted murderer gained a tremendous amount of infamy after recording himself killing kittens, and later, murdering a man in Montreal. Apparently, though, Magnotta claims he didn't commit the acts on his own — he allegedly blames his murders on someone named Manny Lopez.
But, who is Manny Lopez? And what is his connection to Luka Magnotta? If you're somewhat confused right now, you aren't alone. But brace yourself for a wild story, because there is a considerable amount of mystery surrounding Manny's role in Magnotta's life.
This is what we know about the Manny Lopez/Luka Magnotta connection.
Like I said, Manny — real name: Manuel Lopez — is apparently the reason why Magnotta committed murder in the first place. According to Heavy, Magnotta's mom, Anna Youkin, told Netflix that Manny had been paying Magnotta for his escort services, and eventually, things got a little out of hand.
Apparently, Magnotta told his mother that Manny started wreaking havoc on his life — Manny reportedly stalked Magnotta, stole his medication, and forced him to kill those kittens, as well as Lin Jun, the unsuspecting international student who was romantically interested in Magnotta. There's no denying that being stalked and coerced into killing would be absolutely devastating, but there's one problem: Manny might not be real.
Is Manny a real person?
It still hasn't been confirmed whether or not Manny is a real person — Magnotta told psychiatrists and testified in court that he believed Manny was behind his killings, and his mom stands behind this claim. But according to The Cinemaholic, Manny is part of Magnotta's imagination.
Magnotta was apparently diagnosed with schizophrenia during the trial in 2014, and according to Mayo Clinic, the mental health disorder can cause hallucinations, which commonly includes hearing voices. Another side effect is delusions, which could have led him to believe that people were after him, and forcing him to commit murder. Manny might not be real, but a figment of Magnotta's imagination.
He might actually be based on a movie character.
Apparently, Magnotta may have committed his crimes based on the erotic '90s thriller, Basic Instinct, according to CBC News. He reportedly painted the screwdriver he used to murder Jun Lin, and used an ice pick to separate his body parts, similar to a plotline in the movie. And most importantly, Manny has the same name of Sharon Stone's fictional fiancé in the movie: Manny Vasquez.
In a cross-examination, it was suggested that Manny may have actually been the name of one of Magnotta's clients, but it seems as though nobody but Magnotta himself played a role in his murders. Magnotta is infatuated with horror movies, which led examiners to connect the two. Yikes.
It's still unconfirmed if Manny is real, but if you're dying to know more, definitely watch Netflix's documentary, Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer, which premiered on the streaming service as of Wednesday, Dec. 18.
