The man accused of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students asked ChatGPT about putting a person in a trash bag and throwing them in a dumpster, according to a court filing.
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Hisham Abugharbieh, 26, is charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27. Limon, whose body was found Friday, was roommates with Abugharbieh, a former USF student.
In the court document — a motion filed Saturday seeking to keep Abugharbieh behind bars while he awaits trial — prosecutors alleged he asked ChatGPT about putting someone in a dumpster on the night of April 13, three days before Limon and Bristy were last seen alive.
“What happens if a human has a put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster,” prosecutors said Abugharbieh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot.
According to the filing, ChatGPT answered that it sounded dangerous, to which Abugharbieh responded by sending another message: “How would they find out.”
OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A roommate of Abugharbieh’s told investigators that he saw Abugharbieh moving some cardboard boxes from his room to a compactor dumpster at their apartment complex on April 17, prosecutors wrote. A search of the dumpster yielded items belonging to Limon, including a student ID and credit cards with his name on it, the filing stated.
DNA testing on a gray T-shirt also found in the dumpster indicated the genetic material was likely Limon’s, and similar testing on a kitchen mat matched with Bristy, according to the filing.
Sheriff’s investigators on Friday found Limon’s remains in a heavy duty trash bag that smelled of decomposition, the filing stated. His death was preliminarily determined to be a homicide caused by “multiple sharp force injuries,” the motion stated, citing an autopsy.
According to the motion, there is no evidence that would point to Bristy still being alive, and investigators believe Abugharbieh disposed of her body.
Human remains were found Sunday during the search for Bristy, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said, but the remains have not been identified.
The sheriff’s office hasn’t said what may have motivated the killings.
Prosecutors said in their filing that Abugharbieh claimed to have given Limon and Bristy a ride to Clearwater the day they were last seen, April 16.
Investigators also alleged in the motion that Abugharbieh purchased trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze that night, and that blood was discovered in his apartment. He also disposed of items including Bristy’s pink cellphone cover, prosecutors alleged.
Jennifer Spradley, homicide bureau chief of the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office, which is representing Abugharbieh, said by email that they have no comment on the case.
Investigators said Abugharbieh had a cut on his left pinky when they first approached him, according to their motion, and was later determined to have lacerations on his legs. He said the finger injury was the result of an accident while slicing onions, the filing stated.
When interviewed by detectives, Abugharbieh denied knowing the whereabouts of Limon and Bristy and said they’d never been in his car, according to the filing, before he later changed his story once he was confronted with data that indicated Limon’s phone had been in Clearwater, where Abugharbieh’s car had also been.
According to the motion, Abugharbieh told the detectives he’d dropped Limon and Bristy off in Clearwater after Limon asked for a ride. Abugharbieh did not provide a reason as to why, prosecutors wrote.
On April 17, he drove to a location along the Howard Frankland Bridge that spans Tampa Bay and stopped there, the filing said, citing location data obtained through a search warrant. Limon’s body was found on the side of the bridge.
Abugharbieh was arrested Friday after a brief standoff at a residence in the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
He was also charged with battery, false imprisonment, failure to report a death, storing remains in unapproved conditions and tampering with evidence, according to court records.
He was being held without bond at the sheriff’s Falkenburg Road Jail, according to court and jail records. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.
Family members have told NBC news that Limon and Bristy, both from Bangladesh, previously dated.
The families of the pair said in a joint statement Sunday that their wish is that “the bodies of Zamil and Bristy be handled in accordance with Islamic rituals and funeral requirements.”
They also hoped the university will establish a memorial in the couple’s names.
In its own statement Sunday, USF said it “is mourning the tragic loss of students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon,” adding that it is “committed to the safety and well-being of our students.”
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