TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A former University of South Florida student has been charged with killing his roommate and the roommate's girlfriend — two doctoral students from Bangladesh who disappeared earlier this month, authorities said Saturday.
Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is facing two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, students at USF, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Limon’s remains were found on the Howard Frankland bridge Friday morning, but Bristy is still missing, Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Maurer said on Friday.
Abugharbieh, a native-born U.S. citizen, was initially taken into custody on Friday at his family’s home on preliminary charges that include unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery.
Officers encountered Abugharbieh as they responded to a report of domestic violence at his family’s home, just north of the campus, and were able to move his relatives to safety. But then he barricaded himself inside and refused to come out. A SWAT team responded — along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators — before Abugharbieh came out with his hands up, apparently wearing nothing but a blue towel.
Limon and Bristy, both 27, were considering getting married, a relative said. They disappeared from campus on April 16. Limon was last seen at his home in an off-campus apartment complex where he lived with Abugharbieh. Bristy, who lived on campus, was last seen an hour later at a campus science building.
An autopsy is being done on the remains to determine the manner and cause of Limon’s death, and those results are expected Saturday morning, Maurer said Friday.
Abugharbieh had been a USF student but was not currently enrolled. University records showed he had attended the school from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023, and had pursued a BS in Management, a university spokesperson said.
Limon was studying geography, environmental science and policy, and Bristy was studying chemical engineering. She was a graduate of Noakhali Science and Technology University. The school, which spelled her last name as Brishti, said in a statement Saturday that she was a Ph.D. candidate and described her as a talented and promising student.
“Her sudden passing has deeply saddened all of us,” Vice Chancellor Mohammad Ismail said. "The university family pays deep respect to her memory. At the same time, we demand punishment for those involved in her death and compensation for the victim’s family.”
The search for Bristy continues. Anyone with information regarding her disappearance is asked to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Abugharbieh had several previous arrests, the sheriff’s office said. He was charged with battery and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in September 2023, and with battery that May — both classified in court records as misdemeanors.
Court records show Abugharbieh entered into a diversion program for first-time offenders charged with misdemeanors. He completed the program in 2024 and the charges were discontinued. A phone call to his lawyer in that case was not immediately returned.
Hillsborough County Court records also showed two domestic violence petitions filed by a family member in 2023. A judge granted an injunction in one case and denied the other petition. He also was accused of traffic violations.
Members of the media document detectives and deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as they investigate inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
Injuries are playing a factor in the NBA playoffs.
Houston didn't have Kevin Durant again on Friday night and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, falling behind 3-0 in that series. Philadelphia, which is still waiting on the return of Joel Embiid, lost to Boston to fall behind 2-1 in that matchup.
Some teams have found ways to overcome absences. San Antonio beat Portland without the concussed Victor Wembanyama for a 2-1 series lead, and the Lakers are up 3-0 even without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Saturday's schedule features four games: Detroit at Orlando, Oklahoma City at Phoenix, New York at Atlanta and Denver at Minnesota.
— Celtics 108, 76ers 100 for a 2-1 series lead. Tatum says he'll get even better.
— Lakers 112, Rockets 108, OT for a 3-0 series lead. Inside the Rockets' collapse.
— Spurs 120, Trail Blazers 108 for a 2-1 series lead. Wembanyama still recovering.
A reminder: LeBron James is 41 years old.
All LeBron James did on Friday night was throw a lob to his kid (and Bronny James played well, too) for a reverse layup, make an overtime-forcing 3-pointer to cap a wild Lakers comeback at the end of regulation in Houston, and finish with 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in an OT win.
“Everybody kind of chipped in,” he said. “It was just a gutty win for us.”
— At 41, he’s the oldest man to play 45 minutes in a playoff game. Karl Malone did it twice at 40.
— A win in Game 4 would be James' first sweep in eight years (Cleveland over Toronto, East semifinals, 2008) and make him part of sweeps in three different decades.
— He’s two field goals away from 3,000 in his playoff career. If there was no 3-point line, and if no free throws were added to his total, having 2,998 2-point baskets would still make him the all-time leader in playoff points.
— He’s one steal away from 500 in his playoff career. Nobody else has even reached 400.
— Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels is fired up
— Booker fined $35,000 for criticizing refs
— Taylor Jenkins set to return to Milwaukee
— AJ Dybantsa formally enters NBA draft
— Donovan steps down as Chicago's coach
— Warriors brace for possible Kerr departure
— Some news, notes going into the postseason
— Heat equipment manager needs transplants
— View from Vegas says the West is the best
Awards season is in full swing in the NBA. A breakdown on where things stand:
— San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama became the youngest Defensive Player of the Year, and the first to win the award in a unanimous vote.
— Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nearly became the first unanimous winner of the Clutch Player of the Year award. He got 96 of a possible 100 first-place votes.
— San Antonio's Keldon Johnson topped Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr. for Sixth Man of the Year, getting 63 first-place votes.
— Boston's Derrick White was revealed as the Sportsmanship Award winner, as selected by the league's players. Indiana's TJ McConnell — who got more first-place votes than anyone else — was second.
— Atlanta now has back-to-back Most Improved Player winners, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker taking that trophy this year. Dyson Daniels won for the Hawks last year.
Among the announcements still to come (finalists listed):
— MVP: Gilgeous-Alexander; Nikola Jokic, Denver; Wembanyama.
— Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit; Mitch Johnson, San Antonio; Joe Mazzulla, Boston.
— Rookie of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia; Cooper Flagg, Dallas; Kon Knueppel, Charlotte.
1 p.m. EDT — Game 3, Detroit at Orlando (Peacock/NBCSN)
3:30 p.m. EDT — Game 3, Oklahoma City at Phoenix (NBC/Peacock)
6 p.m. EDT — Game 4, New York at Atlanta (NBC/Peacock)
8:30 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Denver at Minnesota (ABC)
1 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Cleveland at Toronto (ESPN)
3:30 p.m. EDT — Game 4, San Antonio at Portland (ESPN)
7 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Boston at Philadelphia (NBC/Peacock)
9:30 p.m. EDT — Game 4, LA Lakers at Houston (NBC/Peacock)
8 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Detroit at Orlando (NBC/Peacock)
9:30 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Oklahoma City at Phoenix (Peacock/NBCSN)
10:30 p.m. EDT — Game 4, Minnesota at Denver (NBC/Peacock)
The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (-120) are favorites to win the NBA title, according to oddsmakers.
The Thunder are followed by Boston (+500), San Antonio (+550), Cleveland (+1400), Denver (+2200) and Detroit (+2200). The Los Angeles Lakers are now +3000 and New York (+4000) saw its odds take a big hit after losing Game 3 to Atlanta.
— May 2, 3 or 4: Conference semifinals begin.
— May 10: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
— June 23: Round 1, NBA draft
— June 24: Round 2, NBA draft
“Grow up, and you’re not that young anymore." — Houston coach Ime Udoka, when asked for the message to his team after the Rockets collapsed late and dropped Game 3 to the Lakers, falling behind 3-0 in that series.
— Road teams went 3-0 on Friday. The last time road teams did that well or better on a single playoff day was April 28, 2022.
— Houston had three bench points against the Lakers on Friday. The last time a team had fewer bench points in a game was March 31, 2024 — when the Lakers had two against Brooklyn. Bronny James (five points) outscored Houston’s bench by himself in Game 3.
— The Spurs are 3-1 vs. Portland this season without Victor Wembanyama in the lineup, and 1-1 vs. Portland with Wembanyama in the lineup.
— Boston is now 17-3 all-time in playoff games when Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both score at least 25 points.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff cheers on the Detroit Piston during the second half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Orlando Magic Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) passes over Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) during the second half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
San Antonio Spurs guard De'aaron Fox (4) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, left, during the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in San Antonio, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) blocks a shot by Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the second half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series in Cleveland, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) sits on the court after a hard fall during the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Portland Trail Blazers in San Antonio, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gestures to the crowd in the first half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Toronto Raptors in Cleveland, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Toronto Raptors guard Ja'kobe Walter (14) and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reach for the ball in the second half in Game 2 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series in Cleveland, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives past Portland Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara (33) during the second half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series in San Antonio, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, talks to his son guard Bronny James during the first half in Game 1 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series against the Houston Rockets, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) and forward Tristan da Silva (23) celebrate after a win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series, Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after scoring during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) lies on the court during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer watches in the closing minutes of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game between the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James looks to make a pass during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
