Prosecutors seek death penalty for man accused of killing 2 USF students from Bangladesh
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of murder two University of South Florida students A Bangladeshi man faces the death penalty if convicted, prosecutors said Friday.
The Hillsborough State’s Attorney’s Office filed a motion seeking the death penalty a day after a grand jury indicted 26-year-old Hisham Saleh Abugharbieh on two counts of first-degree murder and several other charges.
Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, 27-year-old PhD students from Bangladesh, disappeared on April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus apartment complex where she lived with Abugharbieh, and Bristy was last seen in the campus science building.
Abugharbieh was arrested about a week later and remained in prison. Jennifer Spradley, an attorney with the public defender’s office in Tampa, said the office would not comment on Abugharbieh’s case.
Detectives used cell phone location and license plate reader data to track Abugharbieh’s car and Limon’s phone. The bridge where Limon’s body was found According to the report prepared by prosecutors, Limon had multiple stab wounds and appeared to be tied up. Two days later, a kayaker found Bristy’s body in nearby waters.
When detectives questioned Abugharbieh and another roommate a few days after the victims disappeared, investigators noticed Abugharbieh’s pinky finger was bandaged, but he denied any involvement in Limon’s disappearance, according to prosecutors.
The suspect’s mother, Haya Abugharbieh, said in an interview with investigators that her son had difficulty controlling his anger in the past and had been violent towards family members.
When an apartment manager gave investigators access to the apartment and Limon’s locked bedroom, the third roommate told detectives that Abugharbieh had used a wheelbarrow to move cardboard boxes from his room to the trash compactor on April 16. That’s where detectives found Limon’s wallet, campus ID card, credit card, glasses and clothes that appeared to have blood on them.
Detectives returned with a search warrant and found blood residue leading from the kitchen to Abugharbieh’s bedroom and more blood soaking the bedroom carpet. They found Bristy’s campus ID and credit cards in Limon’s bedroom.
