Towel-wearing suspect arrested by SWAT team
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has located the remains of missing University of South Florida graduate student Zamil Limon, 27, and arrested Hisham Abugharbieh in connection with the disappearance of Limon and Nahida Bristy, 27.
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A Florida man accused of killing two University of South Florida graduate students allegedly asked ChatGPT about hiding a body in a dumpster days before the double murders, according to court documents.
Hisham Abugharbieh, a 26-year-old telemarketer, is accused of killing his 27-year-old roommate Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, Limon’s girlfriend and also 27.
According to a bail filing from Tampa-area prosecutors Saturday, Abugharbieh asked the AI what would happen if someone threw a bag full of human remains in a dumpster. When ChatGPT told him the idea sounded dangerous, the suspect allegedly countered, “How would they find out?”
Hisham Abugharbieh was taken into custody and charged with domestic violence-simple battery, domestic violence-false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report death to the medical examiner’s office or law enforcement, and unlawfully holding or moving a human dead body in unapproved conditions. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Later searches also raised red flags to deputies, according to the filing. He allegedly asked about changing a car’s vehicle identification number and whether it’s legal to keep an unlicensed firearm at home.
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“Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head?” reads another query. “Will my neighbors hear my gun?”
Police recovered Limon’s student ID, glasses and credit cards in a dumpster near the apartment he shared with Abugharbieh. They also found a CVS receipt for trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze — and bloody clothes. Deputies later found similar bags under the suspect’s bed, in the dumpster, and containing Limon’s body.
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His remains were later recovered in a black plastic bag near the Howard Frankland Bridge, which connects Tampa to St. Petersburg. He had been stabbed repeatedly.
Zamil Limon, a USF doctoral student pursuing a degree in geography and environmental science and policy, was last seen at his home around 9 a.m. on April 16. (University of South Florida Police Department)
Before police had a search warrant for the suspect’s phone, they said he gave conflicting stories. The filing states they were also able to trace his car to the Clearwater area with traffic cameras.
A search of Abugharbieh’s phone revealed he’d been on the bridge around 1:30 a.m. on April 17, prosecutors wrote. He allegedly stopped for several minutes and used the flashlight tool on his phone.
Bristy’s whereabouts remained unknown when the bail application was filed Saturday, but authorities found her shoes and purse inside the apartment, according to court documents. On Sunday, deputies recovered another set of human remains. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office was working to identify them.
The two were reported missing on April 17 after a mutual friend couldn’t find or get in touch with them.
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Nahida Bristy, a USF doctoral student studying chemical engineering, was last seen around 10 a.m. on April 16 on the USF Tampa campus at the NES Building. (University of South Florida Police Department)
After barricading himself in a home for over an hour Friday morning, Abugharbieh eventually surrendered to police wearing only a towel, as seen on aerial video of the incident.
Court records show Abugharbieh had violent priors. In addition to battery and burglary charges in 2023, he had two violence cases, in 2023 and 2025. His mother told deputies he had anger management issues, according to court filings. In the 2025 incident, his brother claimed to have been punched in the face before Abugharbieh kicked their mother in the back.
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“He trashed the living room in one of his frequent violent tantrums just a couple days prior,” the brother wrote in a request for a restraining order. “I live with my mom and [four] younger siblings who don’t want him to return.”
He faces charges that include battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, unlawfully moving a dead body, failing to report a death, and two counts of first-degree murder.
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He is being held without bail at the Falkenburg Road Jail near Tampa. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
Fox News’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
