TAMPA — Florida prosecutors are moving to execute the man accused of killing two doctoral students after allegedly asking ChatGPT for tips on how to ditch the bodies.
The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office filed notice Friday to seek the death penalty against Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh, 26, just 24 hours after a grand jury indicted him for the double murder of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy. He faces two counts of first-degree murder and a slew of other charges.
The victims, both 27-year-old University of South Florida students from Bangladesh, vanished on April 16.
The investigation took a chilling turn when detectives discovered Abugharbieh — Limon’s roommate — allegedly turned to ChatGPT for advice on how to dispose of a body. He was arrested arrested about a week later and has been in custody since.
Limon frequently complained about Abugharbieh, once telling his deceased girlfriend that he was “psychopathic.”
Detectives pinpointed Limon’s body to a bridge using cellphone location and license plate reader data on April 24. The body had multiple stab wounds and appeared to be bound. Bristy’s body was recovered in a Tampa waterway on April 26.
Search warrants revealed blood residue trailing from the kitchen to Abugharbieh’s bedroom, where the carpet was soaked in blood.
Police recovered Limon’s wallet and blood-stained clothes from the apartment’s trash compactor compactor.
Abugharbieh’s mother, Haya Abugharbieh, told prosecutors that he had anger management issues and was violent with family members in the past.
Abugharbieh’s arraignment has been scheduled for May 18.
