Hisham Abugarbieh arrested for killing two USF doctoral students
The search for Nahida Bristy ended in the waterways of Tampa Bay, where dive teams worked to recover remains that officials have now confirmed belonged to the 27-year-old doctoral student. Her recovery followed a discovery the previous Friday, when the body of Zamil Limon, also 27, was found discarded in multiple black plastic bags on the Howard Frankland Bridge. Both students had vanished from the Tampa area on April 16.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the identification of Bristy was made possible through a combination of DNA and dental work, as well as the clothing she was wearing before she disappeared. While the identification provides a conclusion for the family, officials have not released further details. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has not shared the specific condition of Bristy’s remains, and police have not yet released a cause of death for either victim.
Academic promise and a digital trail of violence
The victims were not only peers but shared a history, having previously dated, according to their families. Both were pursuing doctoral degrees at the University of South Florida. Bristy was studying chemical engineering, while Limon was focused on the application of artificial intelligence in environmental science. Family members noted that Limon was only days away from presenting his thesis at the time of his disappearance.
The use of AI in this crime has drawn significant attention. While Limon was researching the technology for scientific advancement, the suspect, 26-year-old Hisham Abugarbieh, allegedly used it to facilitate a double homicide. Court documents indicate that Abugarbieh, who was Limon’s roommate, asked ChatGPT how to dispose of a body in the days leading up to the disappearances.
This digital footprint is included in the evidence against Abugarbieh. He is currently being held without bond on a series of severe charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death, and unlawfully moving a body. The contrast between the victims’ academic aspirations and the suspect’s alleged planning is a focal point of the investigation.
A history of instability and family warnings
The violence that ended the lives of Limon and Bristy may have been foreshadowed by years of erratic behavior. Abugarbieh’s younger brother, Ahmad, previously warned police about his brother’s instability. Court records reveal that Abugarbieh had been estranged from his family since 2023.
The depth of this instability is documented in a 2023 protective order granted by Hillsborough County. In that filing, Ahmad described a household where the suspect acted violently and made claims about his own identity. According to the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.
“would start screaming in the middle of the night about how he is God and we should all bow down to him.” Ahmad Abugarbieh, brother of the suspect
These warnings were not limited to family members. Omar Hossain, a friend of both Limon and Bristy, stated that Limon had also expressed concerns regarding Abugarbieh’s behavior. Despite these red flags, the suspect remained in close proximity to the victims until the events of mid-April.
The aftermath of the crime now involves a complex international effort. Because the victims’ families are in Bangladesh, the investigation has shifted toward the repatriation of the remains. Sheriff Chronister stated that the sheriff’s office is now actively working to release both bodies for religious reasons
to their families.
As the legal process begins, the focus remains on the evidence gathered from the Tampa Bay waterways and the digital trail left by the filing, the suspect's behavior had become increasingly unpredictable, leading his brother to seek legal intervention to protect the family from further instability and violence.