A former University of South Florida student was charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, and a judge ordered him held without bond after his first court appearance on Saturday.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was arrested Friday after a standoff at a home in Tampa and later faced additional preliminary charges before prosecutors upgraded the case to murder. Hillsborough County authorities said the arrest followed an investigation that connected him to the missing students, and a hearing is scheduled for Apr. 28.
A relative said Limon and Bristy, both 27, had been considering marriage. They disappeared from the USF area on Apr. 16, with Limon last seen at his off-campus apartment, where he lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy last seen about an hour later at a campus science building, according to NPR.
Investigators said Limon's remains were found Friday on the Howard Frankland Bridge, while the search continued for Bristy. Authorities have not announced a cause of death, and they have not said whether Bristy's remains have been found.
The case began as a missing-person investigation after the students were reported missing on Apr. 17. USF police asked for the public's help and later described the pair as endangered as detectives worked with Hillsborough County authorities and other agencies, USF reported.
Court records and sheriff's office updates say Abugharbieh was first booked on charges including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment, and battery before the murder counts were filed. Officials said he barricaded himself inside a Tampa home before surrendering to a SWAT team.
USF said it was working with law enforcement and had been supporting people close to the students, including contact with Bangladeshi officials. Authorities have not publicly detailed a motive, and the investigation remains active, as per CBS12.
