Roommate faces murder charges in deaths of 2 University of South Florida doctoral students

Local authorities said Saturday that a 26-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students who disappeared last week.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said that evidence given to the state attorney’s office led to charges against Hisham Abugharbieh, the roommate of doctoral student Zamil Limon.

Abugharbieh is facing charges of premeditated murder with a weapon. He was taken into custody on Friday, the same day Limon was discovered dead.

Nahida Bristy’s family, the other doctoral student, told CBS News that police believe she is likely dead. This conclusion comes from the large amount of blood found at Abugharbieh’s home, which he shared with Limon.

“Police told us she is no longer with us,” Bristy’s brother, Zahid Prato, said early Saturday.

The family was told her body may never be found and police believe she may have been dismembered, according to Prato. 

Authorities said in a statement Saturday they were still searching for Bristy.

Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Franklin Bridge in Tampa Friday morning, Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said. His cause of death was pending autopsy results.

Deputies with the sheriff’s office took Abugharbieh into custody on Friday after responding to a domestic violence call at a home in the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood near USF’s Tampa campus, officials said. He also faces charges of domestic violence and evidence tampering, as well as a charge of failing to report a death to law enforcement.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, had last been seen in the Tampa area on April 16. 

Limon was studying the use of AI in environmental science and was set to present his doctoral thesis this week, his family said. Bristy is studying chemical engineering.