Suspect in USF students’ deaths asked Chat GPT for advice: Prosecutors

TAMPA, Fla. (Court TV) — Prosecutors in Florida have urged a judge to keep a man accused of murdering two graduate students behind bars without bond, citing evidence against the defendant that includes disturbing searches using ChatGPT.

Hisham Abugharbieh appeared in court on April 25, 2026. (Court TV)

Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, faces a list of charges, including two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon, tampering with physical evidence and false imprisonment. He is being held without bond pending a hearing this week.

Abugharbieh was arrested after officers were called to his home on April 24 for an unrelated domestic disturbance, but investigators say that the defendant is the sole suspect in the murders of two missing graduate students, Zamil Limon, 27, and Nahida Bristy, 27, who both attended the University of South Florida.

Investigators say Bristy and Limon were reported missing on April 17 when friends were unable to reach them. Limon later missed a thesis appointment with his professor on April 18.

Using surveillance video and phone data, officers reportedly traced Bristy and Limon’s movements to Limon’s apartment, where he lived with two roommates. While one roommate provided a consistent account of his last encounter with Limon, the second roommate, Abugharbieh, immediately denied any knowledge of the pair’s whereabouts. When Abugharbieh was confronted with evidence showing his car traveled to Clearwater, he said he had been searching for fishing spots but said that Limon and Bristy were never in his car. Police said he later changed his story, saying that Limon asked for a ride to Clearwater with his girlfriend, Bristy, but offered no explanation as to why he asked to go. Abugharbieh also allegedly said that after getting to Clearwater, he dropped the couple off and left. 

Officers noticed that Abugharbieh had a cut on his left pinky finger. When asked about it, Abugharbieh told the police, “he sustained the injury while cutting onions,” but was unable to tell officers what he was cooking. Abugharbieh’s mother, who had seen him earlier on April 16, told police she hadn’t seen any cuts on her son’s hand but that he “was known to struggle with managing his anger and was violent with family in the past.”

MORE | Sheriff offers new details of ‘gruesome’ murders of USF students

In a motion seeking to hold Abugharbieh without bond, prosecutors said search warrants revealed disturbing evidence in the case. A search of the home revealed areas of apparent blood evidence in the hallway leading to Abugharbieh’s room. Inside the room, “there were two distinct patterns on the floor which appeared to have a relatively human-sized shape. This was saturated into the carpet and was presumptively positive for blood. The enhanced blood areas had patterns consistent with smearing and dragging.” The search warrants also revealed activity on Abugharbieh’s phone.

April 7: Amazon order placed for duct tape.
April 11: Amazon order placed for fire starter, charcoal, trash bags and lighter fuel. A DoorDash order is completed for Lysol and Febreze.
April 13: ChatGPT query: “‘what happens if a human has a put (sic) in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?’ (chat gpt answers that it sounds dangerous), and [Abugharbieh] sends another message, ‘how would they find out’
April 15: ChatGPT query: “Can a VIN number on a car be changed?”, “Can you keep a gun at home with out (sic) a license,” “So can I keep one at home legally if I don’t have a license?”; fake beard purchased from Amazon.
April 19: ChatGPT query: “Has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head,” “will my neighbors hear my gun,” “Will Apple know who is the new iPhone user after the previous user,” “Is there a water temperature that burns immediately”
April 23: ChatGPT query: “What does missing endangered adult mean?”

Hisham Abugharbieh was taken into custody by SWAT officers on April 24, 2026. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)

Officers used data from Abugharbieh’s vehicle to identify areas to search and found human remains in a black trash bag near the Howard Frankland Bridge. Fingerprints confirmed the remains were Limon; prosecutors said his wrists and ankles were bound and his body was nude. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner ruled the death a homicide from multiple sharp force injuries and confirmed that the victim sustained a number of stab wounds. Prosecutors said,  “Nahida Bristy was not located at the time of this search warrant, but was believed to have been disposed of in a similar way to Zamil Limon.”

When officers initially attempted to take Abugharbieh into custody, he barricaded himself inside his home and refused to come out. After SWAT officers were called, he came out peacefully, wearing a towel.

Abugharbieh is due to return to court on April 28 for a status review hearing.