Hisham Abugharbieh Charged With Premeditated Murder of USF Doctoral Students Zamil Limon, Nahida Bristy

A former University of South Florida student, Hisham Abugharbieh, was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, two doctoral students from Bangladesh who disappeared earlier this month, authorities said Saturday.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Abugharbieh, 26, made an initial court appearance Saturday in Tampa, where he was ordered held without bond, and a hearing was set for April 28.

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Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland bridge Friday morning, while Bristy was still missing, Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said on Friday.

CNN reported that investigators called Bristy’s family in Bangladesh and said they believed she may be dead, based on the amount of blood found in Limon and the suspect’s shared apartment, and Bristy’s brother told CNN affiliate WTSP.

The case began after Limon and Bristy were reported missing by a family friend on April 17, and they were last seen around the university campus the previous day, according to USF police.

The Tampa Bay Times said deputies arrested Abugharbieh after a brief standoff at a home in the Lake Forest neighborhood, off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in North Tampa, and that Limon had been missing eight days.

The Guardian added that Abugharbieh was the off-campus apartment roommate of Limon and that Bristy remained missing as of Saturday morning even as unspecified evidence led to murder charges for her as well.

Investigators encountered Abugharbieh as they responded to a report of domestic violence at his family’s home just north of the USF campus, and they were able to move his relatives to safety before he barricaded himself inside and refused to come out, according to AP News and repeated in CNN and the Guardian.

AP News said a SWAT team responded along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators before Abugharbieh came out with his hands up, apparently wearing nothing but a blue towel.

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CNN described the arrest as occurring after law enforcement was called to his home for an unrelated domestic violence incident, and it said Abugharbieh made an initial court appearance Saturday morning and would be held in jail until a pretrial detention hearing on April 28.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that deputies blocked the neighborhood entrance as a standoff ensued, and it said a robotic dog and a remote-controlled vehicle could be seen moving about the neighborhood as a drone circled overhead.

The Guardian similarly said “A special tactical team responded, along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators,” before Abugharbieh came out with his hands up, apparently wearing nothing but a blue towel.

The AP News account added that Abugharbieh was initially taken into custody on Friday at his family’s home on preliminary charges that included unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery.

CNN and the Tampa Bay Times both said the murder charges came after the body was found and evidence was presented to prosecutors, with the Tampa Bay Times quoting the sheriff’s office news release that “Evidence was presented to the State Attorney’s Office, resulting in further charges against Abugharbieh.”

The sources place the disappearances within a tight timeline around April 16 and April 17, with Limon last seen at his off-campus home and Bristy last seen at a campus science building.

AP News said Limon was last seen at his home in an off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy, who lived off campus, was last seen an hour later at a campus science building.

CNN said Limon and Bristy were reported missing by a family friend on April 17 and that they were last seen around the university campus the previous day, and it added that investigators said the incidents occurred off campus.

The Guardian said Limon and Bristy disappeared from the USF campus on 16 April, and it specified that Limon was last seen at his home in an apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh and that Bristy was last seen an hour later at a campus science building.

The Tampa Bay Times said Limon was last seen April 16 at his home in an apartment north of the USF campus, and it described Bristy as disappearing the same day as he did.

NewsNation, in a separate account, said Limon was last seen at around 9 a.m. on April 16 at his residence in Tampa, Florida, and Bristy was last seen an hour later at 10 a.m. at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building at USF’s Tampa campus.

Across the accounts, the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa is the location where Limon’s remains were found, with AP News and CNN both tying that discovery to Friday morning.

As the case moved from missing-student search to murder charges, the sources included statements from law enforcement, university leadership, and family members.

CNN quoted Sheriff Chad Chronister saying, “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” and it also reported that investigators were “working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth,” a line attributed to the sheriff on Friday.

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The Guardian included Chronister’s remarks that “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and [affected] many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” and it added, “While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth.”

USF President Moez Limayem told CNN that “Investigators previously noted that the incidents occurred off campus, and that Abugharbieh … acted alone and there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the university community,” and he said USF staff would remain in contact with the students’ loved ones to provide support.

AP News quoted Vice Chancellor Mohammad Ismail from Noakhali Science and Technology University saying, “Her sudden passing has deeply saddened all of us,” and it said the university family “demand punishment for those involved in her death and compensation for the victim’s family.”

CNN included a family voice through Zubaer Ahmed, Zamil’s younger brother, who told CNN, “Please keep my beloved brother in your prayers.”

The sheriff’s office also said it would not comment on findings to protect the investigation’s integrity, with the Guardian quoting that it would “not be commenting on the findings in the case” against Abugharbieh “to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

The sources describe a procedural shift from preliminary custody to murder charges, with multiple accounts of what Abugharbieh faces and when he will return to court.

AP News said Abugharbieh was ordered held without bond and that a hearing was set for April 28, while CNN said he would be held in jail until a pretrial detention hearing on April 28 and that prosecutors would argue he remains a danger to the community and should remain behind bars until trial.

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The Guardian said he made an initial court appearance on Saturday in Tampa, where he was ordered held without bond, and it said “A hearing in his case was tentatively set for 28 April.”

The Tampa Bay Times said the sheriff’s office announced in an early morning news release that Abugharbieh now faces two charges of first-degree murder with a weapon “in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy,” and it said he was booked in jail on charges that included battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully holding or moving a dead body.

NewsNation reported that at the hearing, “the judge decided he would be held in jail without bond at least until his next court appearance on Tuesday at 9 a.m.” and it said the next step would determine whether he would receive bond or be held in pretrial detention.

AP News and CNN both said an autopsy was being done on Limon to determine the manner and cause of death, with AP News saying results were expected Saturday morning and CNN saying a medical examiner was still determining Limon’s cause of death and may share autopsy results over the weekend.

The sources also tie the case to Abugharbieh’s prior history, with AP News saying he had several previous arrests including charges of battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in September 2023 and with battery that May, and it said court records show he entered a diversion program for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanors and completed it in 2024.