Suspect in murder of Florida college students asked ChatGPT about putting a person in a dumpster

The man accused of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students asked ChatGPT to put a person in a trash bag and throw 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 years old. 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 awaiting trial — prosecutors allege he asked ChatGPT to put 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 being is put in a black trash bag and thrown into a dumpster,” prosecutors Abugharbieh asked the artificial intelligence chatbot.

According to the filing, ChatGPT responded that it seemed 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 boxes from his room to a compact dumpster in their apartment complex on April 17, prosecutors wrote. A search of the dumpster revealed items belonging to Limon, including a student ID and credit cards with his name on them, the filing states.

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 rug matched Bristy, the filing said.

Sheriff’s investigators found Limon’s remains Friday in a heavy-duty trash bag that smelled of decomposition, the file states. His death was preliminarily determined to be a homicide caused by “multiple force injuries,” the motion states, citing an autopsy.

According to the motion, there is no evidence that would indicate Bristy is still alive, and investigators believe Abuharbieh 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 has not said what might have motivated the killings.

Prosecutors said in their filing that Abuharbieh claimed to have taken Limon and Bristy to Clearwater on the day they were last seen, April 16.

Investigators also claimed in the motion that Abuharbieh purchased trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze that night, and that blood was discovered in his apartment. He also got rid of items, including the pink case of Bristy’s cell phone, prosecutors said.

Jennifer Spradley, chief of the homicide bureau at the Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office, who represents Abugharbieh, said by email that she had no comment on the case.

Investigators said Abuharbieh had a cut on his left little finger when they first approached him, based on their movement, and it was later determined he had lacerations on his legs. He said the finger injury was the result of an accident while he was cutting onions, the filing states.

When questioned by detectives, Abugharbieh denied knowing where Limon and Bristy were and said they never got in his car, according to the filing, before changing his story once he was confronted with data indicating Limon’s phone was in Clearwater, where Abugharbieh’s car was also located.

According to the motion, Abugharbieh told detectives he dropped Limon and Bristy off in Clearwater after Limon asked to go with them. Abugharbieh did not provide an explanation, prosecutors wrote.

On April 17, he drove along the Howard Frankland Bridge over Tampa Bay and stopped there, the filing says, 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 confrontation at an area residence, 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 bail at the Falkenburg Road Sheriff’s Jail, according to court and jail records. A hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.

Family members told NBC News that Limon and Bristy, both from Bangladesh, previously dated.

The two men’s families said in a joint statement on Sunday that their wish is that “the bodies of Zamil and Bristy be treated in accordance with Islamic rituals and burial requirements.”

They also hoped the university would establish a memorial in the couple’s names.

In its own statement Sunday, USF said it was “mourning the tragic loss of students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon,” adding that it was “committed to the safety and well-being of our students.”