Updated on: April 25, 2026 / 7:42 PM EDT / CBS News
A 26-year-old man is facing two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students who went missing last week, local authorities said Saturday.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said evidence presented to the state attorney’s office resulted in charges against Hisham Abugharbieh, the roommate of Zamil Limon, one of the doctoral students. Abugharbieh is accused of premeditated murder with a weapon and other charges.
The suspect was shackled and wearing a protective gown during his first appearance in front of a judge in Tampa on Saturday. He is being held without bond and will be back in court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing.
Sheriff deputies took Abugharbieh into custody on Friday — the same day Limon was found dead — after he emerged from his residence shirtless, wearing a bath towel. Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Franklin Bridge in Tampa Friday morning, Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said. His cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Authorities said the family of the other doctoral student, Nahida Bristy, was told police believe she is also likely dead based on the volume of blood discovered at the residence Abugharbieh shared with Limon. Bristy’s brother, Zahid Prato, said, “My home is just broken.” He said the family was told her body may never be found and police believe she may have been dismembered.
Deputies arrested Abugharbieh after responding to a domestic violence call at a home in the Lake Forest Community, a neighborhood near USF’s Tampa campus. He also faces charges including battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawfully moving a body. Authorities said they were still searching for Bristy.
Friends said Limon had raised concerns about his roommate. A 2023 protective order obtained by CBS News included an allegation from Abugharbieh’s brother that Abugharbieh “would start screaming in the middle of the night about how he is God and we should all bow down to him.”
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were last 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 was studying chemical engineering.
Meg Oliver contributed to this report.