The brother of Hisham Abugharbieh, the suspect charged in the deaths of two University of South Florida doctoral students, told CBS News the family had previously alerted authorities about Hisham’s increasingly erratic behavior.
Ahmad Abugharbieh, 22, said his 26-year-old brother was quick to anger and should not have been living with roommates. “I didn’t know he had a roommate,” Ahmad said. “He should’ve lived on his own or been homeless.”
Hisham Abugharbieh faces two first-degree murder charges in the deaths of his roommate, 27-year-old Zamil Limon, and Nahida Bristy, 27. Limon’s body was discovered Friday, and investigators found human remains Sunday while searching for Bristy; those remains have not yet been identified. Authorities said both sets of remains were located on or near the Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay.
Ahmad said family members called police when Hisham unexpectedly arrived at the family home Friday morning because “he was being very weird.” Court records indicate Hisham had been estranged from the family since 2023.
According to an arrest report, Hisham’s younger sister found him in the living room wearing only a towel and playing video games; the report says he then approached her and “was attempting to kiss the victim,” and she pushed him away. Deputies later took Hisham into custody after he emerged from the home with his hands raised while still wearing only a towel. He is being held without bond and is due in court Tuesday.
Ahmad expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the family is remorseful. “I just can’t stop thinking about all of them. … I’m just, I just feel so awful. I’m really sorry about everything. I feel so, my entire family feels so much shame and guilt,” he said. He added, “We tried to warn police in the past.”
Court records show the family filed two protective orders against Hisham: one granted in 2023 and another denied in 2025. The 2025 request was denied because related battery criminal charges were not pursued. Ahmad said he declined to press battery charges in 2023 due to financial concerns and later regretted that decision.
In the 2023 protective order, Ahmad wrote that Hisham “repeatedly punched me in the head, he ripped my shirt and made me bleed and gave me a few bruises on my face,” and alleged Hisham once “tore up the entire living room after a short argument with my mom.” Ahmad also wrote that Hisham would sometimes “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 said the office must refrain from public comment to protect the client’s right to a fair trial. The Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office, in a Facebook post, called Hisham “a danger to our community” and said he should be held without bond until trial, adding that their “hearts are with both students’ families.” The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to CBS News’ request for comment.