Authorities in Florida have pieced together a disturbing chain of events in the killing of two Bangladeshi doctoral students, with the accused now confronting several criminal charges.
As reported by CNN, law enforcement officials have detailed a timeline showing how the two students went missing and are believed to have been killed.
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both aged 27 and originally from Bangladesh, disappeared nearly two weeks ago in Tampa.
Authorities found Limon’s body a week later. They believe Bristy has also been killed, though her body has not yet been found.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, who shared a flat with Limon, now faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon. A judge ruled on Tuesday that he will stay in detention while awaiting trial.
In a motion filed last week to keep Abugharbieh behind bars, prosecutors presented a comprehensive timeline outlining how investigators believe the two University of South Florida students may have been killed, along with the movements of both the victims and the suspect around the time they disappeared.
Amazon purchases and ChatGPT queries
7 and 11 April: Abugharbieh allegedly bought duct tape, trash bags, lighter fuel and fire starter on Amazon, according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case.
13 April: Prosecutors cited a ChatGPT conversation in which Abugharbieh asked, “What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster.” The chatbot responded that it sounded dangerous.
Abugharbieh then replied, “How would they find out.”
Last contact and suspicious movements
16 April: Friends of Limon and Bristy spoke with them during the day but could not reach them later. Bristy and Limon exchanged several brief phone calls.
Around midday, surveillance video showed Bristy walking on campus. But she never showed up that evening to collect her eyeglasses from a friend, nor did she answer the friend’s calls.
Limon’s phone placed him near his home and campus before he travelled to Clearwater – roughly 32 miles from his residence – around 7:43pm.
Prosecutors said Abugharbieh’s white Hyundai Genesis G80 appeared in the same area within about ten minutes.
Phone and traffic data showed consistent locations between the suspect’s and Limon’s devices throughout the night.
Around 10:30pm, Abugharbieh’s phone placed a DoorDash order for trash bags, Lysol wipes, Febreze and other items from CVS. The order arrived at the flat door about half an hour later.
The other flatmate saw Abugharbieh using a cart to move cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster at their apartment complex.
Reported missing and a troubling search
17 April: A ChatGPT search on Abugharbieh’s phone asked, “are cars checked at the Hillsborough River state park,”the affidavit says.
Phone and traffic data showed the suspect travelled to the Howard Frankland Bridge – a strip of I-275 crossing Tampa Bay – twice between 1am and 4:30am.
That same day, Limon and Bristy were officially reported missing. The next day, police searched Bristy’s campus workplace and found her lunchbox, a MacBook and an iPad.
Suspect’s mother speaks of anger issues
22 April: Authorities spoke with Abugharbieh’s mother. She said she last saw her son on 18 April. She told investigators that Abugharbieh struggled with anger management and had been violent with his family in the past.
Court records show Abugharbieh was arrested twice in 2023 on battery charges, later dropped. After one incident, his brother obtained an injunction barring Abugharbieh from coming near him or his home. When the injunction expired last May, a request for extension was denied.
Searches yield bloodied evidence
23 April: The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office upgraded the status of two missing students to “endangered”.
Inside a dumpster, authorities found a black cushion floor mat soaked with blood, Limon’s wallet, Bristy’s phone case, Limon’s glasses and clothing all blood-stained. A
Around that time, Abugharbieh allowed a search of his car, which prosecutors said appeared “recently been cleaned”.
He also let investigators access the vehicle’s data, but no data appeared to exist.
Abugharbieh gave inconsistent accounts of when he last saw Limon and Bristy.
He first told detectives the pair had *“never been in his vehicle nor did he go to Clearwater.” Confronted about his car being in Clearwater, he said he went there to look for fishing spots.
He later changed his story again, telling detectives that Limon had asked to be driven with his girlfriend to Clearwater.
During these interviews, Abugharbieh wore a bandage on his left pinky finger, a wound he later said came from cutting onions.
Detectives also saw a fresh laceration on his left upper tricep and additional cuts on both legs.
Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT, “What does missing endangered adult mean.”
Body found and arrest
24 April: Detectives searching the Howard Frankland Bridge found a black trash bag similar to those found under Abugharbieh’s bed.
Inside, they discovered a man’s remains, later identified as Limon. A medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing “multiple sharp force injuries” including a deep stab wound to Limon’s lower back that pierced his liver.
Hours later, Abugharbieh was arrested at a home in Lutz, Florida, after law enforcement responded to a domestic violence incident involving a family member.
Court appearance and charges
25 April: Abugharbieh made an initial court appearance. Besides two counts of first-degree murder, he faces charges of unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death with intent to conceal, tampering with physical evidence, false imprisonment and battery, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says.
The Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office says it is appointed to the case but declines to share details, citing Abugharbieh’s right to a fair trial.
“We remain focused on representing our client through the legal process,” the office says in a statement.
Human remains found in waterway
26 April: Deputies recovered human remains from waterways near the Howard Frankland Bridge. They are working to identify the remains.
Florida expands OpenAI investigation
27 April: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the state has expanded its criminal investigation into OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT to include the killings of Limon and Bristy.
OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said in a statement: “This is a terrible crime, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. We’re looking into these reports and will do whatever we can to support law enforcement in their investigation.”
Suspect held without bond
28 April: A status conference determined how the case would proceed. Hillsborough County Judge J Logan Murphy granted prosecutors’ request to hold Abugharbieh without bond on the two first-degree murder charges while he awaits trial.
Abugharbieh did not appear in court for the hearing, according to Erin Maloney, a spokesperson with the State Attorney’s Office.
An arraignment has yet to be scheduled.
