Families Of Slain Bangladeshi USF Students Issue Chilling Message For Their Killer Roommate

The University of South Florida was the site of a heinous crime when two of its students were killed by their roommate. The victims were from Bangladesh and had been pursuing doctoral degrees at the university. The suspect has been arrested and is facing criminal charges.

In the meantime, authorities have located the body of one of the victims. However, the other victim remains missing and is presumed dead. Their respective families recently issued a joint message against the suspect as they urged full justice.

The suspect, Hisham Abugharbieh, was arrested inside a Tampa home on April 24 when deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of an unrelated domestic violence incident.

Upon arrival, they found Abugharbieh had barricaded himself inside the property. He refused to cooperate for more than an hour. Ultimately, he surrendered to authorities and was arrested while wearing only a towel.

The 26-year-old has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Zamil Limon and his girlfriend, Zahida Bristy, both doctoral students at USF. Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland Bridge, while Bristy is presumed dead.

Speaking with a news outlet on April 27, Limon’s brother, Zubaer Ahmed, recalled how the victim had been suspicious about their roommate, Abugharbieh, being psychopathic. At one point in time, Limon and their other roommate even lodged a complaint against the suspect to the authorities. The three used to share an off-campus lodging allotment called Avalon Heights.

Ahmed stated, “He barely [knew] Hisham Abugharbieh, but he always informed us that his roommate is kind of unsocial, unpleasant and sort of psychopathic behavior. It’s very unfortunate or unbelievable that Avalon Heights didn’t consider it seriously or [take] necessary steps.”

Both Limon and Bristy’s families issued a joint statement against the murderer. They expressed, “We demand the highest possible punishment under the law for Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, along with anyone else who may be connected, and request that the legal process move forward as quickly as possible.”

The families have also urged taking legal action against Avalon Heights, alleging that the property lacked sufficient CCTV surveillance to monitor the activities of students like Abugharbieh. They also accused the authorities of housing the suspect without even conducting a proper background check.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, haven’t been able to locate a motive for Abugharbieh to murder Limon and Bristy. They alleged the suspect reportedly used ChatGPT to get answers about unusual things. These include ways to put people inside a dumpster, changing a car’s VIN and details about licensing firearms, in the days leading up to the couple’s murder on April 13.

Investigators, while screening through the shared room in Avalon Heights, discovered blood of Limon splattered around. They confirmed that the victim suffered from multiple sharp force injuries at the time of him being killed. They found his wallet and glasses inside a trash compactor, along with a pink iPhone case which belongs to his girlfriend, Bristy.

Besides first-degree murder, there are other multiple charges against the suspect. These include unlawfully holding or moving a dead body in unapproved conditions, failure to report death and tampering with evidence. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 28.