Devon Arthurs was living in Florida when he would murder two of his roommates over his religious beliefs
According to court documents Devon Arthurs was part of a neo nazi group along with his roommates. However Devon would switch his beliefs to Islam
Needless to say his roommates would make fun of his conversion. Devon Arthurs would finally have enough and would fatally shoot two of his roommates Andrew Oneschuk, 18, and Jeremy Himmelman, 22.
The third roommate would return home and make the grisly discovery
Devon Arthurs would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to forty five years in prison
Where Is Devon Arthurs Today
Devon Arthurs is currently incarcerated at Graceville Correctional Facility
Devon Arthurs Current Information
| DC Number: | A81924 |
|---|---|
| Name: | ARTHURS, DEVON |
| Race: | WHITE |
| Sex: | MALE |
| Birth Date: | 03/18/1999 |
| Initial Receipt Date: | 05/23/2023 |
| Current Facility: | GRACEVILLE C.F. |
| Current Custody: | CLOSE |
| Current Release Date: | 05/07/2062 |
Devon Arthurs Case
Court records show 24-year-old Devon Arthurs pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of second-degree murder and will serve a 45-year prison sentence.
A former member of a neo-Nazi group pleaded guilty Monday to fatally shooting his two Florida roommates in 2017, abruptly avoiding the start of a murder trial in which he had planned to use the insanity defense, according to court records.
Devon Arthurs, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder and will serve a 45-year prison sentence. The plea deal with prosecutors means Arthur will not face a possible life sentence.
“This defendant committed a cold and calculated crime and for that he will spend the majority of his life in prison,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez in a statement. “The victims’ families are satisfied with this outcome which allows them to avoid a painful trial while knowing the defendant will have to dwell upon the pain he has caused for the next several decades behind bars.”
Devon Arthurs admitted killing the roommates, Andrew Oneschuk, 18, and 22-year-old Jeremy Himmelman, nearly 6 years ago at the Tampa apartment they shared. Arthurs told police after his arrest that all three had been part of a small, mostly online neo-Nazi group called the Atomwaffen Division and that he shot the pair with an assault-style rifle because they ridiculed his conversion to Islam.
Inside the apartment the men shared, authorities said they found guns, ammunition and bomb-making material, along with a framed picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh on a bedroom dresser. Atomwaffen is German for “nuclear weapons.”
A third roommate and Atomwaffen co-founder, Brandon Russell, was not home when the slayings happened but found the bodies when he returned from duties with the National Guard, investigators said. Russell pleaded guilty in September 2017 to federal charges of possessing illegal firearms and a destructive device, as well as storing explosives illegally.
The bomb-making materials — including the highly explosive substance HMTD, several pounds of ammonium nitrate and homemade fuses — were discovered during the murder investigation. Arthurs told police the group planned terrorist attacks, possibly against nuclear plants.
“I prevented the deaths of a lot of people,” Arthurs said in a rambling statement after his arrest. Asked why his roommates would plan such an attack, he responded, “Because they want to build a Fourth Reich.”
Russell was sentenced to five years in prison on the weapons and bomb charges. After his release, he was charged in a new case earlier this year with plotting with a Maryland woman to attack Baltimore’s power grid in an attempt to stir racial unrest. Prosecutors said that plan was to target five substations situated in a ring around the majority-Black city. No attack took place.
Russell and his co-defendant, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, have both pleaded not guilty in Maryland federal court and are awaiting trial.
As for Arthurs, his case was delayed several times while he received mental treatment after being declared incompetent to stand trial in 2018 and again in 2020. Finally, in June 2022, a Hillsborough County judge determined Arthurs had restored his mental capacity sufficiently to stand trial.
“I feel I can be an advocate against extremism,” Arthurs said in court on Monday, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “I’d like to take this moment to tell the world to stay away from extremist groups. … I’m very sorry for everyone that was involved. I’m very sorry for everything that has happened.”
Arthurs was first arrested shortly after the shootings — which police did not yet know about — while holding several people at gunpoint and making rambling statements at a local smoke shop. Doctors diagnosed Arthurs with schizophrenia, autism and other mental illnesses.
Devon Arthurs Video
Watch Devon Arthurs Video – Teens Who Kill
Devon Arthurs: From Atomwaffen Founder to Islam Convert Killer
Most true crime murders are about jealousy, money, or rage. The Devon Arthurs case is about ideology colliding with ideology – under one roof.
In a four-bedroom apartment at The Hamptons at Tampa Palms, four young men lived together, posted on IronMarch.org, and stockpiled explosives. By May 2017, one had become a devout Muslim, two remained committed neo-Nazis, and the fourth was a Florida National Guardsman.
That combustible mix ended with two bodies, a hostage standoff at a smoke shop, and the first major public exposure of Atomwaffen Division – now designated a terrorist organization in the UK, Canada, and Australia.
This is why your readers keep searching “Devon Arthurs” in 2026: it’s not just murder, it’s a warning about radicalization pipelines.
Who Was Devon Arthurs Before the Murders?
Devon Ryan Arthurs grew up in Tampa. By 15, he was active on IronMarch, the now-defunct neo-fascist forum where Atomwaffen was born. In October 2015, founding member Brandon Russell announced the group’s creation online, and Arthurs became a co-founder.
Atomwaffen – German for “atomic weapons” – was described by researchers as “one of the most violent neo-Nazi movements in the 21st century.” Its ideology blended militant accelerationism, neo-Nazism, and later, occult Satanism from the Order of Nine Angles.
Arthurs and his roommates – Russell, Jeremy Himmelman, and Andrew Oneschuk – shared that worldview. Police later found a framed picture of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh on a bedroom dresser, guns, ammunition, and bomb-making material in the garage.
Then, in early 2017, Arthurs converted to Salafi Islam. Friends said it was abrupt and total. He began praying, condemning U.S. foreign policy, and, according to his own statements, grew enraged by his roommates’ mockery.
May 19, 2017: The Murders and the Hostage Crisis
According to court records, Arthurs, then 18, acknowledged killing Himmelman and Oneschuk with an assault-style rifle inside their shared apartment.
He then walked to the nearby Green Planet Smoke Shop, where he took an employee and two shoppers hostage. He told them he was upset about America bombing Muslim countries while making references to “Allah Mohammad.”
When Tampa police convinced him to surrender, an officer asked if anyone was hurt. Arthurs replied: “The people in the apartment, but they aren’t hurt. They’re dead.” He directed officers to his front door.
Inside, detectives found the two men dead, plus a cooler containing HMTD (a highly unstable explosive), several pounds of ammonium nitrate, homemade fuses, and radioactive materials. Arthurs told investigators the group planned terrorist attacks, possibly against nuclear plants.
“I prevented the deaths of a lot of people,” he said in his rambling post-arrest statement. Asked why his roommates would plan such an attack, he responded: “Because they want to build a Fourth Reich.”
The Fourth Roommate: Brandon Russell
Brandon Russell was not home during the shootings. He returned from Florida Army National Guard duty to find the bodies, dressed in full camouflage and “crying and visibly upset.”
Russell admitted to being a national socialist and Atomwaffen member. The bomb materials led to his federal arrest in September 2017 for possessing an unregistered destructive device and unlawful storage of explosives. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
After his release, Russell was charged again in 2023 with plotting with Maryland woman Sarah Beth Clendaniel to attack Baltimore’s power grid – aiming to “completely destroy this whole city” in a racially motivated plot. In 2025 he was sentenced to 20 years.
The Arthurs case was the domino that exposed the entire network.
Mental Illness, Incompetency, and Six Years of Delays
Arthurs’ case did not go straight to trial. Court filings show a complex history:
“The Defendant, Devon Ryan Arthurs, suffers from a complex diagnosis of intertwining psychiatric mental illnesses and neurodevelopmental disorders.”
He was declared incompetent to stand trial in 2018 and again in 2020, spending years in state mental health treatment facilities. His attorneys planned an insanity defense, arguing his radicalization swings – from neo-Nazism to jihadism – were symptoms of severe mental illness, not pure ideology.
Finally, in June 2022, a Hillsborough County judge ruled Arthurs had restored competency and could stand trial.
This six-year delay is critical for SEO: people search “Devon Arthurs mental illness” and “Devon Arthurs incompetent” because the case sits at the intersection of true crime and forensic psychology.
The 2023 Plea Deal: Why He Took 45 Years
On the morning his trial was set to begin in 2023, with jurors waiting outside, Arthurs’ attorney announced a plea.
Arthurs pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder with a firearm and three counts related to the hostage-taking. The deal removed the possibility of a life sentence or death penalty (Florida had sought first-degree murder initially).
He received 45 years in Florida state prison followed by 15 years of probation, plus a mandatory psychological evaluation upon release.
In court, Arthurs, now 24, spoke directly:
“During the incident, I was 18 years old, brainwashed by a militant movement and stuff like that… I feel I can be an advocate against extremism. I’d like to take this moment to tell the world to stay away from extremist groups… I’m very sorry for everyone that was involved.”
Prosecutors accepted the plea to avoid the unpredictability of an insanity defense and to spare the victims’ families a trial. The families of Himmelman and Oneschuk supported the resolution.
Victims: Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk
True crime coverage often forgets the victims. Don’t.
- Jeremy Himmelman, 18, from Massachusetts, had moved to Florida and was described by his girlfriend as quiet and loyal.
- Andrew Oneschuk, 22, was also deeply embedded in Atomwaffen’s online culture.
Both were killed not in a random act, but by someone they lived with, trained with, and once shared an ideology with. Their deaths forced the FBI and DHS to take Atomwaffen seriously – leading to ProPublica’s 2018 leak of 250,000 chat logs and eventual terror designations.
The Psychology Question: Terrorist or Mentally Ill?
The DEVIANT podcast’s three-part series asks the core AEO question: Was Arthurs genuinely psychotic, or using mental illness as a legal shield?
Evidence for illness:
- Two separate court findings of incompetency
- Diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders
- History of self-radicalization and de-radicalization within 18 months
- His own statement about a “trance-like state”
Evidence for culpability:
- Detailed planning (retrieved rifle, executed two people separately)
- Immediate hostage-taking to gain a platform
- Coherent statements to police about motive and ideology
- Later remorse and advocacy work in prison
Where Is Devon Arthurs Now? (2026 Update)
As of May 2026, Devon Arthurs is incarcerated in the Florida Department of Corrections system, serving his 45-year sentence. He is not eligible for parole until he serves at least 85% of his sentence under Florida’s truth-in-sentencing law – roughly 38 years, putting his earliest release around 2061, when he will be 62.
He has stated he plans to work as an anti-extremism advocate in prison, helping inmates battling addiction and radicalization – echoing the path of other former extremists like Christian Picciolini.
No appeals are publicly pending.
Did Devon Arthurs convert to Islam before killing his roommates?
Yes. He told Tampa police he had converted to Salafi Islam and killed Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk because they ridiculed and disrespected his Muslim faith.
How long is Devon Arthurs’ sentence?
45 years in Florida state prison plus 15 years probation. He pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder in 2023.
Was Devon Arthurs found insane?
He was declared incompetent to stand trial in 2018 and 2020 due to complex psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, but was restored to competency in June 2022. He ultimately did not use an insanity defense, taking a plea instead.
What is Atomwaffen Division?
An international neo-Nazi terrorist network founded in 2015 by Brandon Russell. It advocates accelerationist violence to overthrow the U.S. government and create a white ethnostate. It has been linked to at least eight killings.
Are the Tampa murders connected to terrorism?
Yes. The FBI found bomb-making materials and evidence of plans to attack nuclear facilities and critical infrastructure. The case led to federal charges against co-founder Brandon Russell and helped designate Atomwaffen as a terrorist group abroad.
Final Takeaway for True Crime Readers
Devon Arthurs is not a typical school shooter or domestic abuser. He is a case study in how online extremism creates real-world violence – and how quickly a teenager can move from one violent ideology to another when searching for identity.
His 45-year sentence closes the criminal chapter, but the questions remain open for researchers, parents, and true crime fans: How do we spot a Devon Arthurs before the rifle comes out? And how do we treat radicalization – as a crime, or as a symptom?
For the families of Jeremy Himmelman and Andrew Oneschuk, the ideology doesn’t matter. As Arthurs himself said in court: “They aren’t hurt. They’re dead.”
