In a case that has horrified the University of South Florida community and sent shockwaves through the Bangladeshi diaspora, 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh stands accused of one of the most cold-blooded premeditated killings in recent Florida history. Prosecutors say he didn’t just snap – he planned it for a long time, lying in wait for the perfect moment to slaughter his roommate Zamil Limon and Limon’s girlfriend Nahida Bristy before methodically trying to erase every trace of his monstrous crime.
The horror unfolded in mid-April 2026 in a quiet off-campus apartment in Tampa. Zamil Limon, 27, a brilliant doctoral student from Bangladesh chasing academic dreams at USF, and his 27-year-old girlfriend Nahida Bristy, also a dedicated postgraduate student, simply vanished on April 16. What started as a missing persons case quickly turned into a nightmare of premeditated murder, evidence tampering, and a desperate search for justice.
Hisham Abugharbieh, Limon’s roommate and a U.S.-born former USF student no longer enrolled, is now facing two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon. Additional charges include unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery. Investigators say the killings were no spur-of-the-moment rage – digital footprints reveal a calculated killer who researched body disposal tactics days in advance.
Court documents paint a terrifying picture of premeditation. On April 7 – more than a week before the couple disappeared – Abugharbieh allegedly ordered duct tape from Amazon. On April 13, just three days before the murders, he turned to ChatGPT with a chilling query: “What happens if a human is put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?” When the AI warned it sounded dangerous, he reportedly followed up: “How would they find out?” He also allegedly asked about changing a car’s VIN number and keeping a gun at home without a license.
This wasn’t a man in crisis. This was a man methodically preparing for the unthinkable.
On the night of April 16, Limon and Bristy were last seen near the USF campus. Abugharbieh later gave shifting stories to detectives. First, he claimed he hadn’t seen them that day. Then he said he gave them a ride to Clearwater Beach. Location data from his car and Limon’s phone told a different story. Blood evidence was found throughout the shared apartment – in the kitchen and Abugharbieh’s bedroom. A second roommate reported seeing him wheeling cardboard boxes from his room to the complex dumpster late on April 16 into the early hours of April 17.

Inside that dumpster, investigators made gruesome discoveries: Limon’s student ID, credit cards, eyeglasses, a gray shirt linked to his blood, and a black floor mat matching one missing from the apartment that tested positive for Bristy’s DNA. Cleaning supplies – trash bags, Lysol wipes, Febreze – had been purchased that same day. The evidence suggests a ruthless cleanup operation designed to hide a double homicide.
Zamil Limon’s body was discovered on April 24 on the Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay. He had suffered multiple sharp force injuries, including a deep stab wound to the lower back that penetrated his liver. Authorities believe Bristy met a similar fate, with her body likely disposed of in the same calculated manner. As of late April 2026, her remains have not been recovered, but investigators say there is no evidence she is still alive given the volume of blood found in the apartment.
Abugharbieh was arrested on April 24 after a domestic violence call at his family’s home led to a brief standoff with SWAT. He was initially taken into custody wearing just a towel. Charges were swiftly upgraded to premeditated murder once evidence linked him to the students’ deaths. He has been ordered held without bond, with prosecutors arguing the brutal nature of the crimes makes him an extreme danger to the community.
The victims were more than just students – they were bright young people building futures far from home. Limon and Bristy, both from Bangladesh, were reportedly considering marriage. Their families are devastated, demanding the harshest possible punishment. The USF community, which had rallied with searches and vigils, is now grappling with the horror that the killer lived just doors away from his victims.
What drove Abugharbieh to allegedly orchestrate such savagery? No clear motive has been publicly detailed, but the premeditation is undeniable. Buying supplies, consulting AI on body disposal, the targeted cleanup, the conflicting alibis – everything points to a killer who waited for his moment and struck with terrifying efficiency. Prosecutors emphasize he didn’t just kill; he planned, executed, and tried to cover it up like a seasoned criminal.
This case has ignited fierce debate about how a roommate could allegedly carry out such violence undetected. Blood in common areas. Suspicious late-night dumpster runs. A man researching murder logistics on AI while living alongside his intended victims. Friends and fellow students are left wondering what warning signs were missed in the shared apartment.
Abugharbieh’s defence has yet to mount a public response, but the weight of digital and physical evidence appears overwhelming. A pretrial detention hearing reinforced that he will remain behind bars as the case moves forward. The search for Bristy continues, with authorities believing she was disposed of similarly to Limon.
For the families in Bangladesh, the pain is unimaginable. Two promising doctoral students – one found stabbed and dumped on a bridge, the other still missing – allegedly slaughtered by the very person sharing their living space. The betrayal cuts deep. Limon trusted Abugharbieh enough to live with him. That trust was allegedly repaid with multiple stab wounds and a calculated cover-up.
Tampa Bay residents are reeling. The Howard Frankland Bridge, a daily commuter route, is now a grim crime scene. The off-campus apartments near USF, once filled with hopeful students, now feel tainted by suspicion. How many more “roommate disputes” hide darker secrets? How safe are young international students in a foreign land when evil lurks in the next bedroom?
This double murder has exposed vulnerabilities in student housing and the dark side of AI tools that can be twisted for evil. ChatGPT didn’t commit the crime, but prosecutors say it was allegedly used as a digital accomplice in the planning stages. The case raises urgent questions about whether tech companies should flag such disturbing queries.
As the investigation deepens, one fact stands out with horrifying clarity: Hisham Abugharbieh is accused of planning this for a long time. He allegedly didn’t act in the heat of passion. He prepared, researched, waited, and struck – turning a shared apartment into a slaughterhouse and two young lives into statistics.
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy came to America chasing education and a better future. Instead, they allegedly met a premeditated end at the hands of someone they should have been able to trust. Their families demand justice. The USF community demands answers. And the public watches in horror as the full extent of this calculated evil continues to unfold.
The woods are silent. The bridge bears its scars. And two bright futures have been extinguished – allegedly by a roommate who planned their deaths long before the first drop of blood was spilled.
If you have any information on Nahida Bristy’s whereabouts, contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office immediately. Two families are still waiting for closure in what has become one of Tampa’s most shocking betrayal murders.