Former USF Student Charged with Murder in Death and Disappearance of Two Doctoral Students
A former University of South Florida student has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the death of his roommate and the disappearance of another student.
A former University of South Florida (USF) student, Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, has been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the deaths of USF doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 and originally from Bangladesh. Limon's body was discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida, while Bristy remains missing.
Abugharbieh was arrested on Friday at his family's home after a standoff with law enforcement. He was initially charged with offenses including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery. Following the discovery of Limon's remains, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the additional murder charges.
Limon and Bristy were last seen on April 16. Limon was last seen at his off-campus apartment, which he shared with Abugharbieh, while Bristy was last seen an hour later at a campus science building. Both were reported missing by USF's police department on Tuesday.
Abugharbieh had been enrolled at USF from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Management, but was not currently enrolled. Limon was studying geography, environmental science, and policy, and Bristy was a chemical engineering Ph.D. candidate.
The search for Bristy is ongoing, and authorities urge anyone with information to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.