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Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was charged this Saturday with two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, in connection with the deaths of University of South Florida (USF) doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.
Abugharbieh and Limon were roommates in Tampa, Florida. Limon's body was found on Friday under the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, which led to the arrest of the suspect that same day.
Bristy remains missing, although authorities presume her dead after finding a significant amount of blood in the apartment that Abugharbieh shared with Limon.
Both students, originally from Bangladesh, were last seen on the morning of April 16: Limon around 9:00 a.m. at his residence on Avalon Heights Boulevard, and Bristy near 10:00 a.m. at the Natural and Environmental Sciences building on the USF campus.
The disappearance was publicly reported on April 21 by the university police department, following alerts from relatives who noted that none were answering calls, missed classes, and their phones remained off with no activity on social media or banking movements since that date.
Abugharbieh was arrested following a standoff at his family's home in the Lake Forest neighborhood, near the USF campus. A SWAT team arrived at the scene, and the suspect surrendered peacefully.
At the time of his initial arrest, he was already facing charges of domestic violence, false imprisonment, and tampering with evidence, among others. This Saturday, after presenting evidence to the State Attorney's Office, he was charged with two counts of first-degree felony.
"Evidence was presented to the State Attorney's Office, leading to additional charges against Abugharbieh," stated the Sheriff's Office in a statement, declining to make further comments on the matter.
The suspect was enrolled at USF from the spring of 2021 to the spring of 2023, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Management, but was not registered at the time of the incident.
Limon was pursuing a doctorate in geography, environmental science, and politics, while Bristy was studying chemical engineering. Bristy's older brother, Zahaid Hasan Pranto, 29, told NBC News that his sister and Limon had been in a romantic relationship in the past, although they were not a couple at the time they went missing.
The families of both students in Bangladesh were informed on Friday night that authorities presume Bristy is dead. Her body has not yet been found.
In Florida, first-degree murder with premeditation is a capital offense that can result in death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is asking the public to contact 813-247-8200 with any information about Bristy's whereabouts.
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