Murder suspect asked ChatGPT about body disposal

Orlando: The suspect charged in the killings of two University of South Florida doctoral students from Bangladesh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT about disposing of a human body days before the pair went missing, according to a court filing by prosecutors.

Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, asked what would happen if a human body were placed in a garbage bag and thrown into a dumpster, prosecutors said in a pretrial detention report filed Saturday. He also asked whether a car’s VIN identification number could be changed and whether he could keep a gun at home without a license. According to the report, ChatGPT warned that the questions sounded dangerous.

The remains of Zamil Limon, Abugharbieh’s roommate, were found Friday morning near the Howard Frankland Bridge, Hillsborough County officials said. Authorities continued searching for Nahida Bristy, Limon’s girlfriend, until Sunday, when the sheriff’s office announced that a body had been found in a nearby waterway but had not yet been identified.

Abugharbieh was charged Saturday with two counts of first‑degree premeditated murder with a weapon in the deaths of Limon and Bristy. He was ordered held without bond, and a hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Limon and Bristy, both 27, had been considering marriage, a relative said. The two disappeared on April 16. Limon was last seen at the off‑campus apartment he shared with Abugharbieh, while Bristy was last seen at a campus science building.

Limon was a doctoral student in geography, environmental science and policy. Bristy was pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and was a graduate of Noakhali Science and Technology University in Bangladesh. USF spelled her last name as Brishti in a statement Saturday, describing her as a talented and promising student.

A friend contacted police on April 17 after failing to reach either student despite repeated phone calls, according to the report. Investigators searched Bristy’s campus office the next day and found her purse, lunchbox, MacBook and iPad.

At Limon’s apartment, detectives questioned his two roommates and noticed Abugharbieh’s left pinky finger was bandaged. Abugharbieh denied any involvement in Limon’s disappearance, investigators said.

A third roommate told detectives that Abugharbieh had used a cart overnight on April 16 to move cardboard boxes from his room to the trash compactor. Inside the compactor, detectives found Limon’s wallet, campus ID, credit card, eyeglasses and clothing that appeared to have blood on them.

Investigators also found blood leading from the kitchen to Abugharbieh’s bedroom, as well as additional blood inside the room. In Limon’s bedroom, detectives found Bristy’s campus ID and credit cards, suggesting she had been at the apartment before her disappearance, the report said.

Using cellphone location data and license plate reader records, investigators determined that both Limon’s phone and Abugharbieh’s car had been on the Howard Frankland Bridge and at Clearwater Beach. Based on location data from Abugharbieh’s phone, detectives searched near the bridge and found a trash bag containing Limon’s body. The medical examiner concluded Limon had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Abugharbieh was initially taken into custody Friday at his family’s home on preliminary charges including unlawfully moving a dead body, failure to report a death, tampering with evidence, false imprisonment and battery.

Deputies had responded to a report of domestic violence at the home, just north of the USF campus, and moved Abugharbieh’s relatives to safety. Abugharbieh then barricaded himself inside and refused to surrender. A SWAT team, along with a drone, a robot and crisis negotiators, responded before he emerged with his hands up, wearing only a blue towel.

Abugharbieh, a U.S.-born citizen, is being represented by the public defender’s office, according to online court records. Requests for comment were not immediately returned.

University records show Abugharbieh attended USF from Spring 2021 through Spring 2023, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in management, a university spokesperson said. He was not currently enrolled at the time of his arrest.