Suspect Charged in Deaths of Two USF Students After Roommate's Remains Found

A 26-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh, authorities said. Hisham Abugharbieh is being held without bond after the remains of his roommate, Zamil Limon, were discovered last Friday in a trash bag on the Howard Frankland Bridge, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

On Sunday, officials announced that a body had been found in a waterway near the bridge, but the local medical examiner has not publicly confirmed whether it is Limon’s girlfriend, Nahida Bristy. Both Limon and Bristy disappeared on April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus apartment he shared with Abugharbieh, while Bristy was last seen at a campus science building. Limon was studying geography, environmental science, and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering.

Incident reports released Wednesday detail Abugharbieh’s prior arrest in May 2023 for misdemeanor battery involving family members. At that time, he was taken into custody under Florida’s Baker Act for emergency mental health evaluation. Family members told deputies his behavior had worsened over time, which they attributed to marijuana use. Abugharbieh entered a diversion program for first-time offenders after relatives requested substance abuse treatment rather than prosecution.

The public defender’s office in Tampa declined to comment on Abugharbieh’s current case. The investigation into the deaths of Limon and Bristy remains ongoing.