TAMPA, FLORIDA — Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, was charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the first degree with a weapon in the deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced. Both victims, each 27 years old, disappeared from the USF campus on April 16.

Abugharbieh, a former USF student and off-campus roommate of Limon, was arrested on Friday following a domestic violence call at his family's home, the sheriff's office said. He was arrested the same day Limon's remains were found within black utility trash bags in advanced stages of decomposition on the Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay.

According to a court filing, on April 16 Abugharbieh claimed to have given Limon and Bristy a ride to Clearwater. That night, investigators said, he purchased trash bags, Lysol wipes, and Febreze. Between the night of April 16 and the morning of April 17, a roommate told investigators he observed Abugharbieh using a gray rolling trolley cart to move multiple cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster at their apartment complex.

Items belonging to Limon, including a student ID and credit cards in his name, were found in the compactor dumpster. DNA testing on a gray T-shirt found in the dumpster indicated the genetic material was likely Limon's, and DNA testing on a kitchen mat found in the dumpster matched Bristy. Investigators also discovered blood in Abugharbieh's apartment, and prosecutors said he disposed of items including Bristy's pink cellphone cover.

On Friday, sheriff's investigators found Limon's remains in a heavy duty trash bag that smelled of decomposition, according to the court filing. An autopsy preliminarily determined that his death was a homicide caused by multiple sharp force injuries. Investigators believe Abugharbieh disposed of Bristy's body and have found no evidence that she is still alive.

Members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office marine and dive teams searched the area around the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida. Human remains were found during the search for Bristy, but the remains have not been identified, the sheriff's office said.

The court filing details a series of online searches and purchases attributed to Abugharbieh in the days surrounding the disappearances. On April 7, prosecutors allege he ordered duct tape online, and on April 11 he ordered fire starter, charcoal, trash bags, and lighter fuel online.

On April 15, Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT, "Can a VIN number on a car be changed?" according to the court filing. He also asked that day, "Can you keep a gun at home without a license?" On April 17, he asked, "Are cars checked at the Hillsborough River state park?"

The court filing also describes an exchange about disposing of a body. "What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster?" Abugharbieh asked ChatGPT, according to the court filing. ChatGPT responded that doing so sounded dangerous. "How would they find out?" he then asked. Jennifer Spradley, homicide bureau chief of the Hillsborough County Public Defender's Office, said in an email that she had no comment on the case.