The roommate of a murdered University of South Florida doctoral student was charged with murder Saturday as the search continues for another missing student.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon in the deaths of USF students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Abugharbieh and Limon were roommates.
Abugharbieh was arrested Friday after authorities found Limon’s body on the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida, authorities said. Bristy remains missing.
The USF Police Department reported Limon and Bristy, two doctoral students at the school, missing Tuesday.
When he was arrested Friday, Abugharbieh was already facing charges of domestic violence, simple battery, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report a death and unlawful possession or removal of a corpse.
Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida.AlamyThe murder charge carries a penalty of death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“Evidence was presented to the State Attorney’s Office resulting in additional charges against Abugharbieh,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, while declining to comment further.
The 26-year-old suspect was enrolled at USF from spring 2021 to spring 2023, but was not currently enrolled, according to the university. Abugharbieh was pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in management during his years at school.
Limon and Bristy were last seen on the morning of April 16. The two men were initially reported missing last week, according to authorities.
Bristy’s older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, 29, told NBC News that her sister and Limon had been romantically involved in the past, but were not dating at the time of their disappearance.
Family members of the students also told NBC News that it was out of character not to hear from Limon and Bristy, who both have family in Bangladesh.