TAMPA, Fla. – Court documents filed over the weekend have revealed a disturbing digital trail in the case against 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, who stands accused of murdering two University of South Florida doctoral students.
Prosecutors allege that just days before Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy vanished, Abugharbieh used the AI chatbot ChatGPT to research how to dispose of a human body.
According to a motion filed Saturday, Abugharbieh asked the AI on April 13: “What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster.” When the chatbot flagged the query as dangerous, the suspect reportedly followed up by asking, “How would they find out.”
The details emerged as the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office upgraded charges against Abugharbieh to two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. Investigators discovered the remains of Limon, 27, on Friday near the Howard Frankland Bridge.
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An autopsy later determined his death was a homicide resulting from “multiple sharp force injuries.” While the search for 27-year-old Bristy continues, authorities confirmed that unidentified human remains were located Sunday during their search efforts.
The prosecution’s filing paints a grim picture of the days following the students’ disappearance. A roommate reported seeing Abugharbieh moving heavy cardboard boxes to an apartment compactor on April 17. A subsequent search of that dumpster uncovered Limon’s student ID and credit cards, along with a blood-stained T-shirt and a kitchen mat containing DNA linked to both victims.
Data from a search warrant also tracked Abugharbieh’s vehicle to the exact location on the Howard Frankland Bridge where Limon’s body was eventually found. Investigators further allege the suspect purchased cleaning supplies, including Lysol and Febreze, on the night the pair went missing.
Though Abugharbieh initially claimed the students had never been in his car, he later changed his story when confronted with phone location data, claiming he had dropped them off in Clearwater. Detectives also noted he had several lacerations on his legs and a cut on his finger, which he claimed happened while slicing onions.
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The families of Limon and Bristy, who both came to the U.S. from Bangladesh to pursue their degrees, issued a joint statement Sunday requesting that the victims be handled in accordance with Islamic funeral rituals.
USF officials also released a statement mourning the “tragic loss” of the two students.
Abugharbieh remains held without bond at the Falkenburg Road Jail. A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
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