TAMPA, Fla (Court TV) — Prosecutors have announced they are seeking the death penalty for a man accused of brutally murdering two graduate students at the University of South Florida.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his roommate, Zamil Limon, 27, and Nahida Bristy, 27. Both Limon and Bristy were graduate students at the University from Bangladesh.
Hisham Abugharbieh appeared in court on April 25, 2026. (Court TV)
Prosecutors say Limon and Bristy disappeared on April 16. Their bodies were found days later, found in trash bags dumped near the Howard Frankland Bridge at the border of Pinellas County.
On Friday, Prosecutors in the case filed a formal notice of intent to seek the death penalty, citing three aggravating factors: the defendant was previously convicted of another felony; the felony was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; and the felony was a homicide and committed in a “cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification.”
Investigators say Abugharbieh denied having anything to do with killing the victims, but pointed to several disturbing clues they say is evidence they caught the killer. Prosecutors say digital evidence shows Abugharbieh searching for information about guns, sniper bullets, and “missing endangered adult.”
Sheriff Chad Chronister previously said that Abugharbieh has no criminal record, but said that the defendant does have a history of erratic behavior, which prompted some students to ask for him to be moved out of his residence.
Abugharbieh is due back in court for his arraignment on May 18.
