Tampa Roommate Charged in USF Student's Death as Search for Second Continues

Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a domestic violence call around 9 a.m. Friday in the Lake Forest subdivision north of USF, identifying 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, a former USF student and roommate of Zamil Limon, as the suspect. After a 20-minute SWAT standoff, Abugharbieh surrendered peacefully and was charged with domestic violence-simple battery, domestic violence-false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, failure to report death to law enforcement or the medical examiner, and unlawfully holding or moving a dead human body.[1][2][3] Detectives believe he acted alone, though the motive remains unknown.[3] Limon’s remains were discovered Friday morning near the Howard Frankland Bridge spanning Tampa Bay, prompting lane closures and a dive team search for Bristy in the same area that afternoon.[3] Both USF students, aged 27, were reported missing earlier in the week; HCSO upgraded their status to missing and endangered on April 23 based on new information.[1] An autopsy on Limon, whose cause and manner of death are pending, is expected to yield results as early as Saturday.[3] Abugharbieh's criminal history includes a 2023 conviction for burglary and battery, a 2023 domestic violence case, and another in 2025, with at least one involving a restraining order—though some records are sealed.[3] Bristy, who lived on the USF campus in Tampa, remains missing as detectives urge tips to 813-247-8200.[1][3] The case has gripped the university community in Hillsborough County, where USF serves over 50,000 students.