Is Karim Salim Egypt's Rex Heuermann?

Accused Sadistic Serial Killers Across Countries

A series of grisly murders in Cairo, Egypt, has recently caused many citizens to question how well they know their respectable-seeming neighbors. From March to May 2023, the bodies of four women were found dumped in remote desert locations, each bearing the hallmarks of torture, sexual assault, and strangulation. A trail of evidence led to an unexpected suspect: Karim Salim, a 37-year-old American University in Cairo graduate, former teacher, and popular social media influencer with over 600,000 TikTok followers.

Accused Egyptian serial killer Karim Salim

The revelation of Salim's double life sent tremors through Egyptian society as the image of a charismatic and cultured individual crumbled to reveal a sadistic killer driven by a compulsion to inflict pain and assert control over his victims. The contrast between his carefully curated online persona and the heinous acts he committed behind the soundproof walls of his New Cairo apartment has become a focal point for public discourse, law enforcement scrutiny, and psychological analysis, not unlike the recently accused American serial killer Rex Heuermann.

accused serial killer Rex Heuermann

The Suspect: Karim Salim

Karim Salim was born to a well-to-do family on August 15, 1987, in Alexandria, Egypt. His father, Ahmed, was a successful businessman, while his mother, Laila, was a homemaker. Karim is the eldest of three children, with a younger brother, Tarek, born in 1990, and a sister, Nadia, born in 1993.

In 2000, when Karim was 13 years old, his family relocated to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, California. Ahmed Salim soon established a thriving import-export business. Despite the move, Karim returned to Egypt to complete his high school education and pursue his studies at the American University in Cairo (AUC). Karim enrolled at AUC in 2005, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2009. During his time at the university, he was known among his peers as a charismatic and intelligent individual with a penchant for standing out.

After graduating, Karim briefly worked in his father's import-export business in Los Angeles. However, he decided to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology at the University of Southern California (USC). At USC, Karim met his future wife, Lobna Ghanem, a fellow Egyptian student pursuing a master's degree in engineering. The couple married in 2015, shortly after Karim completed his doctorate. They settled in Los Angeles, where Karim secured a position as a psychologist at a private practice. In 2017, Karim and Lobna welcomed their son, Zain, into the world.

However, their marriage began to unravel. Karim frequently criticized his wife, refusing to tolerate any difference of opinion or complaint. His parents and siblings noticed his increasing resistance to considering anyone else's advice or opinion. In 2017, Karim moved his family back to Egypt, where the two opened a tattoo parlor.

Karim also secured a teaching position at a prestigious international school in Cairo, where he quickly gained a reputation as a popular and engaging professor. However, colleagues soon noticed signs of erratic behavior, including mood swings and occasional outbursts of anger, which appear to have been exacerbated by his increasing use of crystal meth. In 2019, he was fired from the school due to his problematic behavior and suspected drug use.

Karim allegedly became increasingly possessive and controlling, often accusing Sarah of infidelity without evidence. She discovered he was frequenting sex workers. She has also said that he was physically abusive and that, as she pursued divorce, he threatened and stalked her. The couple divorced in 2019, with Sarah citing irreconcilable differences and Karim's unstable behavior as the primary reasons for the split. Karim, however, filed an adultery lawsuit, claiming that his wife had cheated on him with his best friend.

Adultery is an arrestable offense in Egypt; a married woman can be jailed for up to two years. Lobna spent time in jail and was ultimately proven innocent. She has since stated that he took intimate photos of the two without her permission and photoshopped another man in the picture to make her look guilty. She also claimed that after she relented after Karim's parents begged to let them see Zain, they refused to give him back.

By some accounts, Kalim has told Zain that his mother died in an accident. Lobna, who has dual citizenship in Ireland and Egypt, fled to Great Britain due to Salim's threats and hasn't seen her son in three years. She said he has also threatened her sisters, who refused to reveal her location.

In Egypt, Salim threw himself into his work and newfound passion for social media. He created a popular TikTok account under the handle "Hooked On Fonix," where he shared educational content on American slang and pronunciation for his 600,000 followers. His son also appeared on the channel, and Karim gave parenting tips and advice. To his 600,000 adoring fans, he was a charismatic and cultured teacher, a role model for aspiring English learners and single dads.

But beneath the polished exterior, a darker side of Salim's personality began to emerge. As his professional life unraveled, Salim retreated into a world of his own making. He moved into a luxurious apartment in New Cairo, where he had a room specially soundproofed, ostensibly for recording his TikTok videos. In reality, this room would become the site of unspeakable horrors, where he lured unsuspecting young women to their deaths.

Accusations, Crimes, and Confessions

The first sign that something was criminally amiss in New Cairo came on March 3, 2023, when the body of a young woman was discovered in a desolate area on the outskirts of the city. The victim, later identified as 21-year-old university student Mariam Ismail, had been brutally tortured and sexually assaulted before being strangled to death.

Over the next two months, three more bodies would be found in similar conditions. On April 15, the remains of 29-year-old housewife Laila Mahmoud were discovered in a remote location near the Cairo-Suez highway. Two weeks later, on April 30, the body of 19-year-old Fatima Hassan, a student at a local university, was found in a desert area east of the city. The final victim, 34-year-old bank teller Aisha Samir, was discovered on May 12 in a secluded spot near the New Cairo suburbs.

The modus operandi of the killer was strikingly consistent across all four cases. The victims were all women between the ages of 19 and 34. They had similar injuries. They had been buried in the desert in remote locations. Investigators were sure it was the same man.  

Investigators were initially baffled by the lack of physical evidence at the crime scenes. The bodies had been carefully cleaned and posed, with no trace of the killer's DNA or fingerprints left behind. It wasn't until a breakthrough in the investigation, which led to the arrest of Karim Salim that the full extent of the killer's depravity came to light.

During a search of Salim's New Cairo apartment, police discovered a soundproofed room that had been converted into a makeshift torture chamber. The room was equipped with various instruments of torture, including whips, chains, and electrical wires, as well as a bed with restraints where the victims were presumably held captive.

Further investigation revealed that Salim had installed hidden cameras throughout the apartment, which he used to record his sickening crimes. The footage, which spanned several months, showed Salim luring his victims to the apartment with promises of money or gifts before drugging them and subjecting them to unimaginable horrors.

In the videos, Salim can be seen taunting and berating his victims, demanding that they beg for their lives and confess to their supposed sins. He appears to take sadistic pleasure in their suffering, often laughing and gloating as he inflicts pain and humiliation upon them.

Perhaps most disturbing is the evidence that Salim may have had an accomplice in his crimes. Several of the videos show a second man, whose face is never clearly visible, participating in the torture and sexual assault of the victims. Investigators are currently working to identify this individual and determine the extent of his involvement in the murders.

As the investigation continues, the full scope of Salim's crimes remains unclear. Authorities believe that there may be additional victims who have yet to be identified and are combing through missing persons reports and unsolved murder cases for possible links to the New Cairo killer. Investigators argue that at least six victims have been linked to Salim through his video, and perhaps as many as thirteen. Sound familiar? We started with three murder charges in the LISK case. Now we have six. Unfortunately, more are likely to come.

For the families of Salim's victims, the revelation of the heinous acts committed against their loved ones has been a source of unimaginable grief and trauma. Many are struggling to come to terms with the fact that their daughters, sisters, and wives suffered such horrific abuse at the hands of a man who presented himself as a respectable member of society. This mask of respectability enabled him to impress and disarm vulnerable women.

The Investigation

The investigation into the New Cairo serial killings began in earnest on March 5, 2023, two days after the discovery of Mariam Ismail's body. A task force with officers from the Cairo Police Department, the Egyptian National Police, and the Public Prosecution Office was formed. At first, progress was slow. The killer had been meticulous in covering his tracks, leaving little physical evidence at the crime scenes. Investigators canvassed the areas where the bodies were found, interviewing potential witnesses and combing through CCTV footage from nearby businesses and residences.

A breakthrough came on May 15, three days after the discovery of Aisha Samir's body. A witness came forward, claiming to have seen a suspicious vehicle parked near the scene of the crime on the night of the murder. The black SUV with tinted windows was captured on CCTV footage from a gas station near the dump site.

Investigators traced the vehicle to a rental company in New Cairo, where records showed that Karim Salim had leased it. Further investigation revealed that he had rented the exact vehicle on the dates of the other three murders. The task force then placed Salim under surveillance. They tapped his phone lines, monitored his internet activity, and tracked his movements around the city. What they uncovered was a disturbing pattern of behavior that pointed to Salim's involvement in the crimes.

Salim's internet search history showed that he had been researching methods of torture and sexual assault in the weeks leading up to the murders. He had also been frequenting online forums and chat rooms dedicated to BDSM and other extreme sexual practices. The sources indicated that the most substantial evidence was the seizure of the accused's phone and laptop, where they noted that the suspect had deleted all records of photos and video clips on the phone and laptop. A specialized team from the Information Technology Department was able to recover the suspect's data, which confirmed he was recording his crimes. They allegedly found thirteen videos containing evidence of thirteen different women.

On May 20, the task force made their move. They raided Salim's apartment in the early hours of the morning, catching him off guard as he slept. Inside, they found a trove of evidence linking him to the murders, including the soundproofed torture chamber, the hidden cameras, and the instruments of torture.

Under interrogation, Salim initially maintained his innocence. He initially claimed that he had been framed by a jealous ex-lover who had a vendetta against him. However, as the evidence mounted, his story began to unravel.

Confronted with the video footage of his crimes, Salim finally broke down and confessed. He admitted to luring the women to his apartment using social media and dating apps. During the interrogation, Kalim said he would spend a romantic night with his victim, perhaps to put her at ease. It was on the second date that he would commit his crimes, drugging them with drugs such as Tramadol and GHB (commonly referred to as the "date rape drug") and then subjecting his captive to prolonged periods of torture, including beatings, whippings, and electric shocks, before being sexually assaulted and strangled.

Salim's confession sent shockwaves through Egyptian society. Many struggled to reconcile the image of the charismatic and successful TikTok star with the monster who had committed such heinous acts. Some even speculated that Salim's crimes were a hoax or a publicity stunt, refusing to believe that someone so seemingly respectable could be capable of such evil.

The confession was a bittersweet victory for the investigators who had worked tirelessly to bring Salim to justice. While they had succeeded in taking a dangerous predator off the streets, they knew that the scars left by his crimes would never fully heal.

As the case against Salim moves forward, many questions remain unanswered. Chief among them is the identity of Salim's alleged accomplice, the mysterious figure who appears in several of the torture videos. Investigators are working around the clock to identify this individual and bring them to justice.

Another question that looms large is Salim's motive. What could have driven a seemingly successful and well-adjusted individual to commit such monstrous acts?

Sadistic Serial Killers Across Cultures

One of the first things that stands out about Salim is his apparent lack of empathy and remorse. Throughout the investigation, he has shown no guilt or regret for his actions. Investigators have said that he seemed to take a perverse pleasure in recounting the details of his crimes, often smiling or laughing as he described the suffering he inflicted upon his victims.

This lack of empathy is a classic trait of psychopathy, a personality disorder characterized by a lack of conscience, impulsivity, and a tendency towards violent and antisocial behavior. Psychopaths are often charming and manipulative, able to blend in with society and maintain a facade of normalcy while secretly harboring dark and twisted desires. In Salim's case, his psychopathic tendencies may have been exacerbated by his use of drugs, particularly methamphetamine. Meth is known to cause increased aggression, paranoia, and a loss of inhibitions, all of which could have contributed to his violent behavior.

Another factor that may have played a role in Salim's crimes is his history of failed relationships and perceived betrayals. His bitter divorce from his wife, whom he accused of infidelity, may have left him feeling emasculated and powerless. By torturing and killing women, he may have been seeking to reassert his dominance and control over the opposite sex. This desire for power and control is a common theme among many serial killers, many of whom are driven by a need to exert their will over others.

In many respects, Salim's crimes bear a striking resemblance to those of another accused serial killer - Rex Heuermann. To date, neither have been convicted of a crime. However, evidence so far suggests that, while these two cases are separated by thousands of miles and vastly different cultural contexts, they share some striking similarities.

Both men sought out vulnerable victims, luring women with promises of money or drugs. Both men also exhibited a level of meticulous planning and attention to detail in the commission of their alleged crimes, carefully disposing of bodies in remote, outdoor locations and making concerted efforts to destroy incriminating evidence and avoid detection. This level of organization is often seen in intelligent and cunning psychopathic killers.

Recent evidence suggests that Heuermann, much like Salim, may have subjected his victims to prolonged torture and sexual abuse in a hidden location. These locations provide a space where a sadistic killer can indulge in their violent fantasies without fear of interruption or discovery.

The similarities between Salim and Heuermann extend beyond their alleged crimes and into their personal lives. Both men are believed to have led double lives, presenting themselves as successful professionals and family men while secretly indulging in their violent fantasies. They were known in their respective communities as confident, professional individuals, hiding their dark desires behind a facade of normalcy.

If guilty, both Salim and Heuermann appear to fit the profile of sexually sadistic killers. Their alleged crimes involved the prolonged torture and sexual abuse of their victims, suggesting that they derived gratification from the act of inflicting pain and suffering. This modus operandi is a hallmark of sexual sadism, and it sets these killers apart from those who murder for other reasons, such as financial gain or revenge.

Sexual sadism is a paraphilic disorder characterized by the derivation of sexual pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering, or humiliation on others. It is often associated with a need for power and control, as well as a lack of empathy for the victims. It is important to note that while sexual sadism is a rare disorder, not all individuals who experience sadistic fantasies will act on them. However, when these fantasies are coupled with other risk factors, such as a lack of empathy, a history of violence, or substance abuse, the likelihood of an individual committing sadistic acts increases.

In the cases of Salim and Heuermann, their intelligence and cunning likely allowed them to evade detection for years, while their sadistic desires drove them to commit increasingly brutal acts. By identifying the warning signs and risk factors associated with this disorder, we may be able to prevent future atrocities and bring justice to the victims and their families.

Of course, there are differences as well. Rex Heuermann has not confessed to any crimes. Unlike Salim, whose estranged wife reports a history of physical abuse and controlling behavior, Heuermann has been married to his current spouse for over twenty-five years with no documented history of domestic violence. In addition, there is now suspicion that, years ago, he may have murdered his first wife, a healthy, twenty-two-year-old woman who allegedly died of a "heart attack." Investigators are currently considering whether they should exhume her body.

These differences highlight another essential fact about sexually motivated serial killers: even among serial killers with similar motives, fantasies, and desires, their everyday lives can vary tremendously. I've seen serial killers' family relationships range from loving (Gary Ridgeway) to horrendous (Anthony Shore).

The Bottom Line

The cases of alleged serial killers Karim Salim and Rex Heuermann serve as stark reminders of the devastating impact that sexual sadism and other severe psychological disorders can have on individuals and communities. These men, who successfully concealed their dark impulses behind a facade of normalcy, have left a trail of shattered lives and immeasurable pain in their wake.

As forensic psychologists, our role is to delve into the complex interplay of factors contributing to such disturbed individuals' development. By examining their backgrounds, behaviors, and the nature of their crimes, we aim to identify potential warning signs and risk factors that could aid in preventing future atrocities.

However, it is crucial to acknowledge that our understanding of the human psyche is still evolving. The field of forensic psychology must continue to advance, developing more sophisticated tools and techniques for assessing and treating individuals with sadistic tendencies. Collaboration between mental health professionals, law enforcement agencies, and the criminal justice system is essential in ensuring that dangerous individuals are identified and prevented from causing further harm.

As the legal proceedings against Karim Salim and Rex Heuermann move forward, we stand in solidarity with the survivors and the families of the victims. In the words of author and survivor Elisabeth Corey, "Healing doesn't mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives." While the road to Healing may be long and arduous, it is through the pursuit of justice, the support of loved ones, and the resilience of the human spirit that survivors can begin to reclaim their lives.

References:

1.     Aamodt, M. G., Surrette, M. A., & Aamodt, C. E. (2022). Personality disorders and serial killers: A cross-national study. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 37(1), 17-27.

2.     Abdelhamid, M. (2023, May 17). New Cairo serial killer suspect identified as American University graduate and TikTok star. Cairo Scene. https://cairoscene.com/Buzz/new-cairo-serial-killer-suspect-identified-as-american-university-graduate-and-tiktok-star

3.     Diaz, J., & Siemaszko, C. (2023, July 15). Inside Rex Heuermann's shocking double life as an alleged serial killer. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/inside-rex-heuermanns-shocking-double-life-alleged-serial-killer-rcna92143

4.     Hakkanen-Nyholm, H., & Nyholm, J. O. (2021). Psychopathy and sexual sadism. In A. Felthous & H. Saß (Eds.), The Wiley International Handbook on Psychopathic Disorders and the Law (2nd ed., pp. 591-604). Wiley.

5.     Mokbel, M. (2023, May 20). Forensic psychiatrist weighs in on the New Cairo serial killer case. Egyptian Streets. https://egyptianstreets.com/2023/05/20/forensic-psychiatrist-weighs-in-on-the-new-cairo-serial-killer-case/

6.     Stefanska, E. B., Nitschke, J., Carter, A. J., & Mokros, A. (2021). Sadism among sexual homicide offenders: Validation of the sexual sadism scale. Psychological Assessment, 33(2), 145-153.

As always, thank you for reading this issue of The Mind Detective. Please share with your true crime-watching and forensic psychology-following friends and colleagues. If there’s a case you’d like me to cover, please let me know.