{"id":247047,"date":"2026-04-26T06:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/247047\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T06:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T06:06:22","slug":"roommate-charged-with-killing-two-university-of-south-florida-doctoral-students-after-one-of-their-bodies-was-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/247047\/","title":{"rendered":"Roommate charged with killing two University of South Florida doctoral students after one of their bodies was found"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead on a Tampa Bay bridge, his roommate has been charged with killing him and his friend \u2013 also a USF doctoral student \u2013 the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office said<\/a> Saturday.<\/p>\n

Hisham Abugharbieh has been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of the 27-year-old Bangladeshi students, Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy. The two had been missing since last week.<\/p>\n

Limon\u2019s body was found on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa on Friday, while Bristy has still not been found, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease keep my beloved brother in your prayers,\u201d Zubaer Ahmed, Zamil\u2019s younger brother, told CNN.<\/p>\n

Investigators called Bristy\u2019s family in Bangladesh, saying they believed she may be dead, based on the amount of blood found in Limon and the suspect\u2019s shared apartment, Bristy\u2019s brother told CNN affiliate WTSP<\/a>. CNN has reached out to her brother and the sheriff\u2019s office for details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,\u201d Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement on Friday.<\/p>\n

Abugharbieh was arrested Friday morning after law enforcement was called to his home for an unrelated domestic violence incident, the sheriff\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the murder charges, Abugharbieh, 26, faces charges of unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death with intent to conceal, tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery, the sheriff\u2019s office had said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Abugharbieh made an initial court appearance Saturday morning and will be held in jail until a pretrial detention hearing on April 28, according to Hillsborough County State Attorney\u2019s Office spokesperson Erin Maloney.<\/p>\n

At the pretrial detention hearing, \u201cprosecutors will argue that he remains a danger to the community and should remain behind bars until trial,\u201d Maloney said.<\/p>\n

Dive teams scour waters for sign of missing student<\/p>\n

Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office Marine and Dive teams were seen<\/a> searching the water near the Howard Frankland Bridge for Bristy on Friday.<\/p>\n

Detectives \u201care working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth,\u201d the sheriff said<\/a> on Friday.<\/p>\n

A medical examiner is still determining Limon\u2019s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend, Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n

Abugharbieh, a former USF student, is being held without bond until his next court appearance on Tuesday. He appeared before a judge in a safety smock<\/a> on Saturday, his hands and feet in shackles.<\/p>\n

The initial charges the suspect faces are based on probable cause. Official charges will follow after the Hillsborough County State Attorney\u2019s office reviews the evidence in his case, Maloney said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear whether Abugharbieh has an attorney. CNN has contacted the Hillsborough County Public Defender\u2019s Office to see if it will represent him.<\/p>\n

Limon, described by family as a joyful, promising young researcher, and Bristy were reported missing by a family friend on April 17. They were last seen around the university campus the previous day, according to the university\u2019s police.<\/p>\n

As the investigation and search for Bristy continue, \u201cInvestigators previously noted that the incidents occurred off campus, and that Abugharbieh \u2026 acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community,\u201d USF President Moez Limayem said in a statement<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n

USF staff will remain in contact with the students\u2019 loved ones to provide support, Limayem said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also in contact with representatives from both the Bangladeshi Embassy and Consulate General to assure them that we are doing everything we can to assist in this matter,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An undated photo posted on Facebook by Nahida Bristy on January 9, 2026 was shared in a condolence message posted by the Noakhali Science and Technology University in Bangladesh, Bristy earned her undergraduate degree from the school. – Facebook\/Nahida Bristy<\/p>\n

The vice-chancellor of the Noakhali Science and Technology University in Bangladesh, where Bristy previously studied, described her as a \u201ctalented and promising student\u201d in a condolence message on social media<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cHer untimely death is an irreparable loss to the university and the nation,\u201d Professor Dr. Mohammad Ismail wrote.<\/p>\n

Roommate had been on investigators\u2019 radar<\/p>\n

Before his arrest Friday, Abugharbieh had been interviewed at least twice by law enforcement. He was initially talking to authorities but stopped cooperating as he was being questioned again Thursday, Maurer said.<\/p>\n

By Friday, the chief deputy said investigators were able to \u201clink the suspect to this case and to (Limon\u2019s) body.\u201d<\/p>\n

During his arrest, Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside a home, requiring a SWAT team and crisis negotiators to respond, the sheriff\u2019s office said. Video of his arrest shows an armored vehicle parked in the front yard as Abugharbieh walks out the front door with his hands up and a bath towel tied around his waist.<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This still from a video released by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shows the moment Hisham Abugharbieh was arrested at his family’s home. – Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office<\/p>\n

Abugharbieh was arrested at his family\u2019s home, where a judge had previously prohibited him from entering due to domestic violence allegations made by his brother.<\/p>\n

The suspect was arrested twice in 2023 on charges of battery, which were later dropped, according to court records. But after one of those incidents, his brother filed for an injunction that prohibited Abugharbieh from coming near him or his home. In court filings, the brother alleged Abugharbieh attacked him and his mother during an argument in which the brother was telling him to get out of the house.<\/p>\n

When the injunction expired last May, the brother asked the court to extend it, saying he didn\u2019t want to \u201crun the risk of him returning.\u201d His request was denied.<\/p>\n

\"Hisham<\/p>\n

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested Friday and is facing charges for killing his roommate, Zamil Limon, and Limon’s friend Nahida Bristy. – Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/p>\n

The suspect had attended USF between 2021 and 2023 while he pursued a bachelor\u2019s degree in management, a spokesperson for the university told CNN.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are becoming numb,\u2019 student\u2019s brother says<\/p>\n

The students\u2019 sudden disappearance prompted friends in Florida and relatives in Bangladesh to look for answers.<\/p>\n

Before Limon\u2019s body was found, his brother told CNN the family was in \u201cdeep pain\u201d awaiting news.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s devastating for us,\u201d Ahmed said. The brother said his family has been anxiously following updates. \u201cWe are becoming numb. Anything could be possible. We just want to know the truth or what happened to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zamil<\/p>\n

Zamil Limon had plans to travel back to Bangladesh this summer to see his family, his brother said. – Family of Zamil Limon<\/p>\n

Limon was last seen on April 16 around 9 a.m. at his off-campus home, about three blocks from the university\u2019s campus, police said. He had been pursuing a degree in geography, environmental science and policy since the fall of 2024.<\/p>\n

Bristy was last seen about an hour later at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on campus, police said. She enrolled at the university last fall and was studying chemical engineering.<\/p>\n

The following day, a family friend was unable to reach the pair and notified campus police.<\/p>\n

Detectives had been following leads and conducting searches in multiple locations when the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office elevated the pair\u2019s status to \u201cendangered\u201d on Thursday, citing new \u201cinformation that has come to light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Limon had discussed marrying Bristy<\/p>\n

Limon had spoken highly of Bristy to his family in Bangladesh, telling them he was courting her and the pair had discussed the possibility of marriage, his brother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe shared that she is a good girl, and she has a lot of talent, like she can sing and cook well,\u201d Ahmed, the brother, said.<\/p>\n

Limon had been hard at work on his thesis for the past two years, studying how to use generative AI to monitor shrinking wetland in South Florida, his brother said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother is very decent and a very simple person,\u201d Ahmed said. \u201cHe always put a smile on his face.\u201d<\/p>\n

After completing his PhD, Limon wanted to return to Bangladesh and get a job as a university professor, Ahmed said.<\/p>\n

Omer Hossain, Limon\u2019s friend and fellow student at USF, remembers him as a \u201cchill guy\u201d who was \u201calways jolly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two became best friends after a professor connected the two through email in the fall of 2024, Hossain said.<\/p>\n

Later, Hossain met Bristy, who he described as an outgoing and kind person who would always include others.<\/p>\n

Hossain says he has been in contact with Limon\u2019s family to discuss next steps on returning his body to Bangladesh.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe feeling is not describable for us. It\u2019s very unexpected and shocking,\u201d Hossain said. \u201cOur hearts are broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story has been updated with additional information.<\/p>\n

CNN\u2019s Rafael Romo, Jason Morris, Karina Tsui, Martin Goillandeau, Graham Hurley, Nic F. Anderson, David Williams, Sydney Bishop and Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a University of South Florida doctoral student was found dead on a Tampa Bay bridge, his roommate…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[101418,108538,28,30,29,276,108055,42799,108249,108537,3650,107237,108539],"class_list":["post-247047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-bangladesh","tag-doctoral-student","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-hisham-abugharbieh","tag-howard-frankland-bridge","tag-nahida-bristy","tag-noakhali-science-and-technology-university","tag-university-of-south-florida","tag-zamil-limon","tag-zubaer-ahmed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}