TAMPA, Florida — Law enforcement officials announced Saturday that formal murder charges have been brought against the former roommate of a missing Bangladeshi doctoral student, nearly two weeks after the student and his girlfriend vanished from the University of South Florida (USF) campus.
Twenty-six-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, a U.S.-born ex-student at USF, now faces two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a weapon connected to the disappearances of 27-year-old Zamil Limon and 27-year-old Nahida Bristy, both registered students at the institution, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer confirmed Friday that partial remains identified as Limon’s were recovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge early Friday. As of Saturday’s announcement, Bristy remains missing, and search operations to locate her are still ongoing across the region.
Abugharbieh was first taken into police custody Friday following a hours-long standoff at his family’s residence, located just north of the USF campus. Officers initially responded to the property following a domestic violence report, and first moved all other family members to a secure location before Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside the home and refused to surrender. A specialized SWAT team, supported by unmanned aerial drones, tactical robots, and trained crisis negotiators, was deployed to the scene before Abugharbieh finally surrendered, walking out with his hands raised and clothed only in a blue towel.
At the time of his initial arrest, Abugharbieh faced a string of preliminary charges including unlawful transportation of a dead body, failure to report a human death, evidence tampering, false imprisonment, and battery. The upgraded first-degree murder charges were filed following initial processing of evidence and identification of Limon’s remains.
A family member of the missing couple shared that Limon and Bristy, both 27, had been planning to marry before their April 16 disappearance. Limon, who was pursuing a doctorate in geography, environmental science and policy, shared an off-campus apartment with Abugharbieh, and was last seen at that residence the day they vanished. Bristy, a graduate student in chemical engineering who lived in on-campus housing, was last spotted one hour later at a campus science building.
An official autopsy to confirm the exact cause and manner of Limon’s death was scheduled for completion Saturday morning, per Maurer’s Friday statement.
USF university spokespersons confirmed that while Abugharbieh was previously enrolled at the institution, he was not an active student at the time of the couple’s disappearance. Institutional records show he attended USF from the spring 2021 semester through spring 2023, working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in management.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office added that Abugharbieh has a documented history of prior arrests in the county. Court records show he was charged with battery and burglary of an unoccupied residence in September 2023, plus an additional battery charge in May 2023 — all of which were classified as misdemeanor offenses.
As a first-time offender, Abugharbieh was accepted into a court-supervised diversion program for misdemeanor charges. He completed the program in early 2024, and all prior charges against him were formally dismissed. Attempts by outlets to reach his attorney from that prior case Saturday went unanswered.
Additional court records from 2023 show two domestic violence injunctions were filed against Abugharbieh by a family member. A county judge granted one of the requested protective injunctions and denied the second. He has also faced multiple minor charges for traffic violations over the years.
Law enforcement is asking any member of the public with information related to Bristy’s disappearance or the case to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office immediately to assist with the ongoing investigation.