Prosecutors say suspect gave shifting accounts in Florida doctoral student killing case

By Amanda Musa, Chris Boyette, CNN

(CNN) — Prosecutors have revealed new evidence in the killing of a Florida doctoral student whose body was found last week on a Tampa Bay bridge, including a timeline of events surrounding the death of Zamil Limon and the disappearance of his close friend, postgraduate student Nahida Bristy.

Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, has been charged with killing the students, both 27. Bristy is still missing as authorities work to identify human remains recovered south of the bridge, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said late Sunday.

Abugharbieh, 26, is due in court Tuesday for a pretrial detention hearing. CNN has reached out to his lawyer’s office. ((moves up))

Limon, a University of South Florida student from Bangladesh, was killed by “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to a document filed Saturday in Hillsborough County Court and released Sunday.

Prosecutors have asked for Abugharbieh to stay in jail pending trial because of the gruesome nature of the alleged crimes, according to a pretrial detention motion. Limon’s death was ruled a homicide, it states, citing a medical examiner’s report and noting among stab wounds a deep one to Limon’s lower back, penetrating his liver.

“The brutal and violent nature of the offense where the victims were killed by the defendant establishes a probability of danger his release poses to the safety of the community,” the motion says. “No conditions of release will reasonably protect the community from risk of physical harm.”

Limon’s body was found Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge, the motion says, adding Bristy is “believed to have been disposed of in a similar way to (Zamil) Limon.”

Investigators have told Bristy’s family in Bangladesh they believe she may be dead based on the amount of blood found in the apartment shared by Limon and the suspect, her brother told CNN affiliate WTSP.

Among other claims, prosecutors have alleged Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT a series of questions – including about putting a human body in a dumpster – in the days before Limon and Bristy vanished.

“What happens if a human has a put (sic) in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster,” Abugharbieh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot on April 13, three days before the two last were seen, the motion says.

The chatbot responded it sounded dangerous, the motion states, before Abugharbieh sent another message: “How would they find out.”

Suspect’s story changes as investigators compile evidence

Both doctoral students from Bangladesh, Limon and Bristy last were seen on and around the University of South Florida campus on April 16 and reported missing the next day, the motion shows.

Abugharbieh told Hillsborough County sheriff’s detectives he had not seen the couple that day, it states. But on the night of April 16, Abugharbieh’s car was seen in Clearwater Beach, not far from where Limon’s cellphone pinged.

In a follow-up interview, Abugharbieh told detectives the couple had “never been in his vehicle nor did he go to Clearwater,” the motion says.

Abugharbieh changed his story when confronted about Limon’s cellphone location, telling detectives Limon had asked him to be driven with his girlfriend to Clearwater, the motion states.

During these interviews, Abugharbieh’s left pinky finger was wrapped in a bandage, a wound he later said he gave himself while cutting onions, the motion says.

Officials also noted an April 16 CVS receipt found in the apartment Limon shared with Abugharbieh listed trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze, among other items.

Another roommate told investigators he saw Abugharbieh use a rolling cart late on April 16 into April 17 to move cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster at their apartment complex, according to the motion.

Investigators later recovered from the dumpster items belonging to Limon, including a student ID, credit cards and eyeglasses like those he wore, according to the filing. A gray shirt and a black floormat like those missing from the apartment’s common kitchen area were also found, the motion says.

Items recovered from the dumpster tested positive for blood, and later lab testing linked profiles developed from the gray shirt to Limon and the floormat to Bristy, according to the motion.

Investigators also discovered blood evidence throughout the apartment, including in the kitchen area and Abugharbieh’s bedroom, the document says.

What’s next for the suspect

Abugharbieh was arrested Friday morning after law enforcement was called to his home for an unrelated domestic violence incident, the sheriff’s office said.

“This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement Friday.

In addition to the two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, Abugharbieh 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 has said.

The Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office has appointed an attorney for Abugharbieh.

Abugharbieh made an initial court appearance Saturday morning.

This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Karina Tsui contributed to this report.

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