Hashim Abugarbieh, the man accused of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students, was arraigned Monday in a death penalty case involving the deaths of Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon. Prosecutors have consolidated the two murder cases into a single trial, where Abugarbieh faces eight charges related to the killings.
Bristy and Limon, both 27 and originally from Bangladesh, were last seen around mid-April in Tampa and were reported missing on April 17. Abugarbieh happened to be Limon’s roommate, according to CNN.
According to Florida’s death penalty requirements, which were updated in 2023, capital sentencing is allowed if the criminal case meets specific criteria — this includes a premeditated first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances, and a suspect accused of multiple murders in a single incident or over time.
READ: OpenAI sued for its alleged role in fueling ‘paranoid delusions,’ leading to a murder-suicide (December 11, 2025)
Prosecutors filed a legal notice alleging that the crime was cold, calculated, and premeditated. The statement also included that it was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, and Abugarbieh had a prior violent felony conviction.
Premeditation seems to be apparent due to the suspect’s AI search history. “Everything that the defendant was thinking is seen in his ChatGPT questions that he asked,” State Attorney Lopez said. “And then he later got answers to those questions. And it shows the premeditated nature of everything that he did and that he is alleged to have done.”
A ChatGPT conversation cited in the motion for pretrial detention showed what Abugarbieh asked: “What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster,” to which the chatbot responded that it sounded dangerous.
“How would they find out,” Abugarbieh replied, according to prosecutors. Abugarbieh also allegedly made several purchases on Amazon, that include duct tape, trash bags, lighter fuel and fire starter, according to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case.
READ: OpenAI’s data center partners in debt to the tune of $100 billion (
Abugharbieh pleaded not guilty through his attorneys during an arraignment in Hillsborough County court. His own appearance was waived, as the attorneys entered the plea. They also waived his right to a speedy trial. The next hearing in the case is a status hearing set for 9 a.m., Dec. 10.
A motive for the murders was not identified yet.
This is not the first time an AI chatbot has been associated with a murder. Last year, OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft were sued over allegations that the AI company’s chatbot, ChatGPT validated a user’s paranoid delusions, leading him to kill his mother before committing suicide.
Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, a former tech industry worker, had fatally beaten and strangled his mother, Suzanne Adams, and killed himself in early August at the home where they both lived in Greenwich, Connecticut. The lawsuit mentioned that Soelberg’s conversations with ChatGPT “reinforced a single, dangerous message: Stein-Erik could trust no one in his life – except ChatGPT itself.”