Roommate Accused in Florida Student Deaths as Bodies Found and Search Continues for Missing Victim
- Hillsborough County authorities have charged a former University of South Florida roommate with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the deaths of two missing doctoral students, one...
- The suspect, identified as Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested after the remains of Zamil Limon, 27, were discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa on Friday morning,...
- Abugharbieh, who shared a residence with Limon, was taken into custody at his family's home in the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa following a standoff with law enforcement.
Hillsborough County authorities have charged a former University of South Florida roommate with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the deaths of two missing doctoral students, one of whom was found dead and the other still missing as of April 25, 2026.
The suspect, identified as Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested after the remains of Zamil Limon, 27, were discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa on Friday morning, April 24, 2026. Limon had been reported missing since April 16, along with his girlfriend, Nahida S. Bristy, also 27, both doctoral students from Bangladesh enrolled at the University of South Florida.
Abugharbieh, who shared a residence with Limon, was taken into custody at his family’s home in the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa following a standoff with law enforcement. Officers initially responded to a domestic violence report at the residence, where they secured the safety of Abugharbieh’s relatives before he barricaded himself inside and refused to surrender.
He made an initial court appearance in Tampa on Saturday, April 25, 2026, where a judge ordered him held without bond. A hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2026. Abugharbieh faces two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a weapon in connection with the deaths of Limon and Bristy.
Prior to the murder charges, Abugharbieh had been held on preliminary accusations including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death with intent to conceal, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery. Online court records do not list an attorney representing him, and messages to the public defender’s office in Hillsborough County have not been returned.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister described the case as “deeply disturbing,” noting that while the discovery of Limon’s remains brought tragic confirmation, investigators continue to pursue every lead in the ongoing search for Nahida Bristy, who remains missing.