Cart
0
Florida Student Murder Case: New Evidence Revealed
Hisham Abugharbieh has been charged with the murder of Zamil Limon and the presumed killing of Nahida Bristy as prosecutors reveal new evidence in the Florida case.
Zamil Limon (left) and Nahida Bristy. Photograph: Hillsborough county sheriff’s office
A receipt changed everything.
Trash bags. Disinfectant wipes. Air freshener. Purchased on April 16. The same day two people went missing and were never seen again.
Gear Spotlight- What Our Readers Are Picking Up
That receipt was found inside the apartment shared by the suspect and his victims. Prosecutors say it tells a story that is hard to explain away.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, has been charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder in connection with the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy. Both were 27 years old. Both were students. Both were last seen near the University of South Florida campus on April 16.
Neither came back.
Limon, a PhD candidate from Bangladesh, was found first. His body was discovered on the Howard Frankland Bridge in the Tampa Bay area. Medical findings confirmed he died from multiple stab wounds, including one deep enough to penetrate his liver.
Bristy is still missing. But investigators have already told her family what they believe happened.
She is presumed dead.
Substantial blood evidence found inside the shared apartment led investigators to that conclusion. On Sunday, human remains were recovered from waters south of the bridge. Identification is still pending.
If you have followed this far, here is where the case against Abugharbieh starts to tighten.
He initially told investigators he had not seen either of them that day. Then surveillance footage placed his vehicle at Clearwater Beach that same evening, close to where Limon's phone was last tracked.
He changed his story. Said he had driven them there.
Investigators also noted a bandaged finger. He said it was a kitchen injury. Combined with the cleaning supplies receipt and the blood evidence in the apartment, prosecutors described the alleged crimes as highly violent and argued he poses a serious threat to public safety if released.
Abugharbieh was not arrested in connection with the murders initially. He was taken into custody Friday following a separate domestic violence incident. The murder charges followed.
He appeared in court Saturday. A public defender has been assigned. A detention hearing is scheduled for Tuesday where prosecutors will push to keep him jailed until trial.
He faces charges beyond the two murder counts. Moving a body unlawfully. Failure to report a death. Evidence tampering. False imprisonment. Battery.
The list is long. And prosecutors are still building the case.
Human remains are still being identified. Bristy's family is waiting for answers. And somewhere between a changed story, a bandaged finger and a bag of cleaning supplies, investigators say they already know what happened inside that apartment.
The Tuesday hearing will show how much of that they are ready to prove.
Editor's Note: The case has raised serious concerns about campus safety and underscores the complexity of violent crime investigations, as authorities continue to piece together evidence in the killings of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.
