“I AM GOD”: The Delusional Past of the USF Roommate K*ller Revealed

TAMPA, FL — Long before the “Blue Towel” surrender captivated a mourning city, the seeds of a double tr*gedy were already sown in a chilling 2023 police report. Newly unsealed documents reveal that Hisham Abugharbieh, the man accused of ending the lives of two brilliant USF scholars, was a ticking time bomb with a terrifying “God complex.”

A History of Divine Delusions

In May 2023, authorities were called to the Abugharbieh home after a violent domestic outburst. According to the unsealed report, Hisham told responding officers, “I created my brother, I am his god.” This wasn’t just a metaphor—it was a deep-seated delusion that led him to physically ass*ult his own mother and brother.

At the time, he was involuntarily committed under Florida’s Baker Act for mental health observation. However, despite the grphic nature of his delusions and the volence he displayed toward his own blood, the system deemed him “stable” enough for release after just 72 hours.

The System’s Fatal Oversight

Family members reportedly begged for a longer intervention, warning authorities that his mental state was spiraling into a dark, narcissistic void. But the legal loopholes allowed him to slip through. He eventually moved into a shared apartment with Zamil Limon, a proximity that would prove fatal for the unsuspecting doctoral student and his partner, Nahida Bristy.

“He used to be a helpful son, but something snapped,” a relative stated in a recently released victim impact report. “We lost the normal Hisham years ago, but no one would listen.”

From Delusion to Execution

The juxtaposition of the lives involved is gut-wrenching. While Zamil and Nahida were dedicating their lives to the pursuit of science and human knowledge, their roommate was allegedly stewing in a world of “divine” authority.

Investigators now believe this “God complex” played a central role in the cold, calculated way the victims were treated—bound at the hands and feet and discarded near the Howard Frankland Bridge. The use of AI technology to research body d*sposal further suggests a man who felt he was “above” the laws of both man and nature.

A Global Cry for Accountability

As the USF campus prepares for a candlelight vigil, the focus of the investigation has shifted from “who” to “why.”

Why was a man who claimed divine authority over the lives of others allowed to live alongside unsuspecting students?

Why did the alarms raised by his own family go unheeded by the state?

Hisham Abugharbieh remains in custody facing two counts of first-degree prmediated mrder. As the trial looms, the families of Zamil and Nahida are left wondering how a known pred*tor was allowed to move in silence until it was far too late.

Was this a drug-induced psychosis or a calculated act of pure ev*l?

The brother of Hisham Abugharbieh, the suspect in the killings of two University of South Florida doctoral students, tells CBS News his family had warned police in the past about Abugharbieh’s erratic behavior.

Ahmad Abugharbie, 22, told CBS News his older brother was quick to anger and shouldn’t have been living in a shared space with roommates.

“I didn’t know he had a roommate,” Ahmad Abugharbie said. “He should’ve lived on his own or been homeless.”

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is facing two first-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of his roommate, 27-year-old Zamil Limon, and Nahida Bristy, also 27. Limon’s body was found Friday and authorities found human remains Sunday while searching for Bristy, although those remains have not yet been identified. Both sets of remains were found on or near the Howard Frankland Bridge, which spans a portion of Tampa Bay, authorities said.
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27, were last seen in the Tampa area on April 16, the University of South Florida Police Department said.Families of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy
Ahmad Abugharbie said he was among the members of his family who called police to the family home after the elder Abugharbie suddenly showed up Friday morning.

“He was being very weird, so I called them to get him out,” Ahmad Abugharbieh said.

Hisham Abugharbieh had been estranged from the family since 2023, according to court records.

According to an arrest report, Hisham Abugharbie’s younger sister confronted him after she found him in the living room playing video games, wearing only a towel. Then he approached her.

“The defendant was attempting to kiss the victim,” the report states. “The victim was able to push away.”

Hisham Abugharbieh was taken into custody in dramatic fashion on Friday. He came out with his hands up, still wearing only a towel, and was confronted by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies who took him into custody.

He is due in court on Tuesday and is being held without bond.
Hisham Abugharbieh with his hands raised prior to being taken into custody.Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
Ahmad Abugharbieh had a message for the families of the victims:

“I just can’t stop thinking about all of them. … I’m just, I just feel so awful,” he said. “I’m really sorry about everything. I feel so, my entire family feels so much shame and guilt.”

Ahmad Abugharbieh added, “We tried to warn police in the past.”

The family had filed two protective orders against Hisham Abugharbieh, one in 2023 that was granted and another in 2025, which was denied, according to court records. Protective orders are a civil matter handled by the Clerk of Courts in Hillsborough County.

A judge denied the 2025 request because the battery criminal charges were not pursued.

The younger Abugharbieh said he declined to move forward with potential battery charges against his brother in 2023 because of financial constraints.

“I dropped them because I thought it was going to cost me a lot of money,” he said. “I regretted that choice immediately after.”

In the 2023 protective order, a copy of which was obtained by CBS News, Ahmad Abugharbieh wrote that his brother  “… repeatedly punched me in the head, he ripped my shirt and made me bleed and gave me a few bruises on my face. I went outside to call the cops. He tried to escape by using the family minivan but came back after realizing it wouldn’t work.”

On another occasion, the younger brother alleges that Hisham Abugharbieh “tore up the entire living room after a short argument with my mom.”

He also alleged his brother “would start screaming in the middle of the night about how he is God and we should all bow down to him.”

A spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Hisham Abugharbieh, told CBS News, “While we understand the attention surrounding the case, our ethical obligations and our client’s right to a fair trial require that we refrain from public comment. We remain focused on representing our client through the legal process.”

The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office would not comment specifically on Ahmad Abugharbieh’s comments.

In a Facebook post, they wrote that Hisham Abugharbieh “remains a danger to our community and should be held without bond until trial.”

“Our hearts are with both students’ families during this incredibly difficult time, and we are keeping them in our thoughts as they await answers,” State Attorney Suzy Lopez said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not reply to CBS News’ request for comment.

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested and is facing charges in the killing of two University of South Florida doctoral students.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

Three years before he was accused of killing two doctoral students in Florida, a domestic violence incident with Hisham Abugharbieh’s brother and mother highlighted his family’s concerns about what they called his erratic behavior.

During the May 9, 2023, incident, Abugharbieh began arguing with his brother regarding his “erratic behavior,” according to the police report obtained by CNN. The brother began recording Abugharbieh, who eventually punched his sibling, causing him to fall to the ground, according to the report.

According to the report, Abugharbieh also kicked his mother in the back during the encounter, causing her to fall.

The police report outlines Abugharbieh’s alleged behavior before he was later charged with killing his roommate, Zamil Limon, and Nahida Bristy, both 27-year-old University of South Florida students originally from Bangladesh.

The two were last seen nearly two weeks ago in Tampa. Limon’s body was found on a bridge a week later, and investigators believe Bristy was also killed. Another set of human remains were later found, but they have not yet been confirmed to be Bristy’s.

During an interview with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office after the 2023 incident, Abugharbieh said “I created my brother. I am his god,” and “This is my first life here,” according to the police report.

Abugharbieh was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery and placed under the Baker Act, a Florida law that allows for a hold of up to 72 hours of those with a mental illness who pose a danger to themselves or others.

Hisham Abugharbieh, facing two counts of first-degree murder, appears in court via video on Saturday, April 25, in Tampa, Florida.
WFTS-TV/AP

His family member indicated to police that while Abugharbieh had not been diagnosed with a mental illness, his behavior had worsened over recent weeks, the report says.

In a victim impact letter submitted to the court, a relative said Abugharbieh’s behavior had changed over the last few years after he began using medical marijuana.

“Hisham used to be a cool guy. A supportive and helpful eldest son,” the relative wrote. “It turned him mentally ill with hurtful behavior and anger problems.”

Despite this apparent change in Abugharbieh, the relative said they were still left “shocked” by his arrest and added they filed a petition for involuntary treatment for substance abuse.

“I hope that the court will help Hisham … and put him under treatment and stop him using medical marijuana because it is not for him since he has never had any disease requires (sic) drug use,” the relative wrote.

The charges against Abugharbieh in the battery case were later dropped, court records show. However, an injunction was granted by a judge, prohibiting him from coming near his brother or his home through May 2025.

Abugharbieh, now 26, faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of the University of South Florida students.

Prosecutors allege Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT a series of questions — including about putting a human body in a dumpster — in the days before Limon and Bristy vanished.

He also ordered duct tape, trash bags, lighter fuel, fire starter and charcoal from Amazon in the week before, and financial records cited in a criminal affidavit show a fake beard had been shipped from Amazon on April 15.