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Published : 25 Apr 2026, 07:18 PM
A 26-year-old man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder over the deaths of two Bangladeshi doctoral students at the University of South Florida who went missing last week.
According to CBS News, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced on Saturday that Hisham Abugharbieh, the roommate of victim Zamil Limon, has been charged following the submission of evidence to the state attorney.
Abugharbieh is accused of carrying out the premeditated killings with a weapon. He was taken into custody on Friday, the same day Limon's body was found.
He also faces charges of domestic violence, evidence tampering, and failing to report a death.
Police believe the second missing student, Nahida Bristy, is also dead.
Her family said investigators found a large amount of blood at the home shared by Abugharbieh and Limon, CBS News reported.
“Police told us she is no longer with us,” Bristy's brother Zahid Pranto said early on Saturday.
He said authorities had warned the family that her body might never be recovered and that investigators suspect she may have been dismembered.
The search for her remains is ongoing.
Limon's body was recovered from the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa on Friday morning.
The exact cause of death will be determined following a postmortem examination.
Deputies arrested Abugharbieh after responding to a domestic violence call at a home in the Lake Forest community near the university's Tampa campus, CBS News reported.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last seen in Tampa on Apr 16.
Limon was conducting research on artificial intelligence in environmental science and was scheduled to defend his doctoral thesis this week.
Bristy was pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering.
