Arthurs says he killed roommates to stop 'planned acts of domestic terrorism'
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Alyssa Himmelman is heartbroken. Her older brother, 22-year-old Jeremy Himmelman was one of two people murdered at a Tampa condo complex on Friday.
"He was so funny everyone loved him," said Himmelman.
She got the devastating news from the news.
"They didn't call Friday, they called us Saturday. It was on the news before they called us. He was a very good person at heart. He meant well," said Himmelman.
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But the murders may have revealed a darker side. Jeremy and Andrew Onschuk were killed, police officers say, by their roommate, 18-year-old Devon Arthurs.
The 18-year-old told detectives they were all friends and all shared neo-Nazi beliefs, but somewhere along the way, Arthurs converted to Islam. Tampa police say Arthurs admits to killing his roommates for disrespecting his Muslim faith.
Himmelman says Jeremy and Andrew had moved in with Arthurs two weeks ago and almost immediately there was friction.
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"He practiced some sort of radical Muslim and they were just disagreeing with his beliefs," explained Himmelman.
The fourth roommate, Brandon Russell discovered the bodies and was arrested days later in the Florida Keys. He allegedly had bomb-making materials, ammo, and weapons. In his room, police officers say they found neo-nazi propaganda and a framed picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
Russell has been a member of the Florida National Guard since February of 2016. He's a System Operations Maintainor who works on the Army's communication equipment.
A National Guard spokesperson says they are cooperating with the FBI in their investigation.
New court records show Arhturs told detectives his three roommates planned to use the explosives and that he, "wanted to prevent them from committing planned acts of domestic terrorism."
Arthurs is expected in a Tampa courtroom Wednesday morning for a bond hearing.