The man charged with allegedly killing two University of South Florida (USF) doctoral students and dumping their bodies in a river consulted ChatGPT about putting human remains in a trash bag and then disposing of them in a dumpster, according to U.S. reports citing a court filing.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was taken into custody on Friday and is facing two counts of murder in the first degree with a weapon (premeditated) in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27 and from Bangladesh, Hillsborough County sheriff’s office said in a news release Saturday.
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He is also charged with unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery.
According to the filing, ChatGPT said it sounded dangerous. Abugharbieh responded by sending another message, which reads, “How would they find out,” the NBC report on the filing says.
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The alleged conversation with the AI platform took place on the night of April 13, three days before Limon and Bristy were last seen alive, according to the documents.
Global News requested the legal filing from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which said the request had been processed. Access was not provided in time for publication and Global News has not independently verified the quotes cited in NBC’s reporting.
Limon’s remains were found on a bridge over Tampa Bay in west-central Florida on Friday. Human remains were subsequently recovered in Tampa waterways close to a highway, but are yet to be positively identified, police said in an update on Sunday night.
Abugharbieh, a former USF student, and Limon were roommates, according to investigators, who identified him as a person of interest on Friday after receiving a call for an unrelated domestic violence incident at his family home in Tampa.
Upon arrival, Abugharbieh barricaded himself inside the residence and refused to comply with the deputies’ commands, police said.
As a result, specialized units were activated, including SWAT, the Bomb Disposal Team, the Crisis Negotiations Team and the Drone Response Team. At approximately 10:30 a.m., the suspect was taken into custody without further incident, investigators said.
According to the NBC report on the court filing, a roommate of Abugharbieh’s told investigators he saw Abugharbieh transporting cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster at their apartment complex on April 17.
Limon and Bristy were last seen alive on April 16.
A search of the dumpster revealed items belonging to Limon, including a student ID and credit cards bearing his name, NBC says prosecutors allege in the document.
DNA testing of other items found in the dumpster, including a T-shirt, showed the presence of genetic material likely belonging to Limon, and a kitchen mat showed DNA matching Bristy, the reporting says.
According to the U.S. media reporting, there is no evidence suggesting that Bristy is alive. Prosecutors believe Abugharbieh disposed of her body, reporting of the court filing states.
Investigators said a heavy-duty trash bag containing Limon’s remains smelled of decomposition, the reporting of the filing added.
His death has been preliminarily determined a homicide caused by “multiple sharp force injuries,” according to the U.S. media reporting.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said of the investigation: “This is a deeply disturbing case that has shaken our community and impacted many who were hoping for a safe resolution.”
“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. We will continue to follow every fact, pursue every lead, and use every tool available to hold those responsible fully accountable,” Chronister continued in a statement.
“Our thoughts remain with the families of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy during this time,” he concluded.
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