A Florida man charged in the deaths of two University of South Florida graduate students reportedly searched ChatGPT about disposing of human remains in the days leading up to the killings.
Prosecutors say 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh raised concerns with a series of online searches that surfaced during the investigation into the deaths of his roommate, 27-year-old Zamil Limon, and Limon’s girlfriend, Nahida Bristy, 27.
Court records describe an exchange in which Abugharbieh posed a hypothetical about discarding a bag of human remains in a dumpster. After the system cautioned that the scenario carried serious risks, he pressed further with a follow-up question.
“How would they find out?” he asked.
Investigators say the search history didn’t stop there. Other queries allegedly included questions about altering a vehicle identification number, whether keeping an unlicensed firearm at home is legal, and whether a person could survive a gunshot wound to the head.
One entry read: “Will my neighbors hear my gun?”
Authorities tied those searches to physical evidence recovered near the apartment the suspect shared with Limon.
Deputies found Limon’s student ID, glasses and credit cards in a nearby dumpster, along with a CVS receipt listing trash bags, cleaning supplies and air fresheners. Bloody clothing was also recovered.
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Additional bags matching those materials turned up under the suspect’s bed and in the same dumpster, investigators wrote.
Limon’s body was later found inside a black plastic bag near the Howard Frankland Bridge. Officials said he had been stabbed multiple times. Her remains were identified through DNA.
Before obtaining a warrant to search Abugharbieh’s phone, deputies said he gave conflicting accounts about what happened.
Once investigators gained access to the device, location data placed him on the bridge around 1:30 a.m. on April 17. Prosecutors say he remained there for several minutes and activated the phone’s flashlight.
At the time of the initial filing, Bristy had not yet been located. Deputies found her shoes and purse inside the apartment, raising further concern.
The following day, authorities recovered another set of human remains. The Pinellas County Medical Examiner’s Office began working to confirm the identity.
“We have located Nahida Bristy. We have contacted her family. We are now actively working to release both bodies for religious reasons back to the families who live in Bangladesh,” Sheriff Chad Chronister commented.
Both victims had been reported missing on April 17 after a mutual friend was unable to reach them.
The suspect was taken into custody during a separate call that drew a large law enforcement response.
Deputies arrived on a Friday morning around 9:09 a.m. to handle an unrelated domestic violence report.
Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside the residence, refusing to come out as officers ordered him to surrender.
Specialized units, including SWAT, were deployed as the standoff continued.
Abugharbieh eventually exited the home around 10:30 a.m., appearing in video footage wearing only a blue towel with his hands raised.
He approached a line of officers positioned near an armored vehicle before turning and backing up as commands were repeated. At least nine officers moved in and took him into custody.
Sheriff Chad Chronister called the case deeply disturbing. “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” he commented.
He said investigators are continuing to work through the evidence.
“While the discovery of Zamil Limon’s remains is heartbreaking, I want the public to know that our detectives worked and are working tirelessly and relentlessly to uncover the truth,” he added.
Court records show Abugharbieh has a history of violent incidents.
He previously faced battery and burglary charges in 2023, along with two separate cases involving violence in 2023 and 2025.
Family members told deputies he struggled with anger issues, according to filings.
In one case, a relative reported being punched in the face before the suspect allegedly kicked his mother in the back.
Abugharbieh now faces a range of charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, along with allegations of tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, unlawfully moving a body and failing to report a death.
In a separate case elsewhere in Florida, authorities say a man is facing attempted murder charges after a shooting that left a woman critically injured.
Officers in Wildwood responded late Saturday night to reports of an argument followed by a gunshot.
They discovered a woman in a driveway with a wound to her neck. She was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.
Police arrested 40-year-old Robert Anthony Morgan in connection with the shooting.
According to investigators, he slipped beneath a partially raised garage door and then entered a backyard pool in an apparent attempt to evade officers.
Police later removed him from the water and placed him under arrest.
Investigators were told the relationship between Morgan and the woman had included prior domestic violence incidents, according to the victim’s mother.
She described seeing him pull the woman back toward the house after the gunfire.
When she questioned whether he had called for help, he allegedly replied, “She’s fine,” and warned her not to contact authorities.
Inside the property, officers located a rifle on the garage floor and tracked a blood trail that stretched from the street into the residence.
Authorities also noted that the woman’s four children were inside the home when the shooting happened.
Morgan faces multiple charges, including attempted felony murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He is being held without bond following an initial court appearance.
