Roommate charged with murder of 2 missing USF students

Authorities in Florida have charged Hisham Abugharbieh with the murders of two missing University of South Florida students, following the discovery of one of their bodies Friday.

On Saturday, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced Abugharbieh has been charged with “two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon (premeditated) in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.”

Limon’s remains found, search for Bristy continues

The remains of Limon, Abugharbieh’s roommate, were discovered and identified Friday. Deputies arrested Abugharbieh, following a domestic violence call and a brief standoff, charging him with multiple offenses as the sheriff’s office continues to investigate a motive.

The whereabouts and condition of Bristy remain unknown, but the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said dive teams were searching the waters around Howard Frankland Bridge, where Limon’s remains were found.
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Missing students were considered endangered

Limon and Bristy, both 27 and from Bangladesh, were last seen April 16 and were later classified as endangered after losing contact with family and friends.

USFPD says that Limon, a doctoral student studying geography and environmental science policy, was last seen at around 9 a.m. at his residence in Tampa, Florida. Bristy, a doctoral student studying chemical engineering, was last seen at 10 a.m. at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building at USF’s Tampa campus.

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Police take ‘barricaded’ person into custody in missing USF students case

Deputies responding to a domestic violence call Friday morning identified the home of a suspect, Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, and safely removed family members before the suspect barricaded himself inside.

Authorities said Bristy did not live at the property, and Abugharbieh is not a USF student.

A SWAT team was called in, and Abugharbieh later surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody.

The charges Abugharbieh is facing

NewsNation affiliate WFLA reports that Abugharbieh is due in court Saturday morning, with the sheriff’s department noting that additional evidence was presented to the State Attorney’s Office that led to the murder charges. These charges include:

Unlawfully Holding or Move a Dead Human Body in Unapproved Conditions
Failure to Report Death to Medical Examiner or Law Enforcement (Intent to Conceal)
Tampering with Physical Evidence
False Imprisonment
Battery