Various concerned authorities have presented a thrilling account of the murder of two Bangladeshi PhD students Jamil Ahmed Limon and Nahida Sultana Brishti in Florida, United States. The two 27-year-old students were last seen about two weeks ago. Limon’s body was found a week later. Investigators believe that Brishti was also killed.
Hisham Abu Gharbeh, Limon’s roommate, was arrested in connection with the murder. He has been charged with premeditated murder with a weapon. He was supposed to be taken to court yesterday local time for a hearing. Lawyers last week appealed to the court to keep Abu Gharbeh in prison pending murder charges.
Additionally, a detailed timeline has been presented in the application. It describes how investigators believe Limon and Brishti may have been killed. Besides, the details of the activities of the two students and the accused during their disappearance have also been highlighted.
April 16: Last contact with Limon-Brishti
The application was made by government lawyers in the Hillsborough County Court last Saturday. It said that Limon and Brishti were in contact with their friends even on April 16. The two students also had a short phone conversation among themselves. However, they were not found after that.
CCTV footage shows Rain walking on the University of South Florida (USF) campus in the middle of the day on April 16, according to the court filing. That evening he was supposed to meet a friend to get his glasses. But Brishti did not go. Even when the friend called, he did not answer.
According to Limon’s cell phone location, he went to the Clearwater, Florida area around 7:43 p.m. that day. Earlier his mobile phone location was seen near his residence and campus. Clearwater is approximately 32 miles from Limon’s residence.
Lawyers saidAbu Gharbeh’s white Hyundai Genesis G80 was seen driving into the area within 10 minutes of Limon’s mobile phone location showing in Clearwater. According to cell phone and vehicle traffic data, the locations of the Abu Gharbeh and Limon cell phones that night were identical.
Limon and another of Abu Gharbeh’s roommates saw Abu Gharbeh using a wheeled trolley to move some cardboard boxes from his room to the apartment complex’s garbage dump.
Around 10:30 p.m., Abu Gharbeh’s phone at CVS, a drug and retail store, ordered trash bags, Lysol for house cleaning, Febreze deodorant, and other products. About half an hour later, delivery service DoorDash delivered the products to their apartment door.
April 17: Two students are reported missing
According to the arrest warrant affidavit in the case, Hisham Abu Gharbeh asked ChatGPT, “Are cars searched at Hillsborough River State Park?” He visited the Howard Frankland Bridge twice between 1pm and 4.30am on April 17.
In the meantime, Limon and Brishti’s disappearance was officially reported. The next day, police raided Brishti’s workplace on the university campus. His food box, a MacBook, an iPad, and various personal belongings were recovered from there.
April 22: Interrogation of the suspect’s mother
Investigators spoke to Hisham Abu Gharbeh’s mother, according to the court filing. He said that Abu Gharbeh last met him on April 18. According to the mother, her son could not control his anger. Apart from this, he also behaved violently with his family in the past.
Abu Gharbeh was arrested twice in 2023 for assault. The charges were later dropped. But after one of those incidents, his brother applied for an injunction. After that appeal, Abu Gharbeh was banned from visiting his brother or his home. That ban ended in May last year.
April 23: Search operation
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office listed the condition of the two missing students as ‘critical’. Investigators searched a dump site. There they found a blood-stained black floor mat, Brishti’s mobile phone cover and Brishti’s wallet, glasses, and blood-stained clothes.
Abu Gharbeh gave inconsistent information about the last time he saw Limon and Brishti, the affidavit said. At first, he said, the two never got into his car and he never drove to Clearwater. Later, when shown the evidence, he claimed that he had gone to find a fishing spot. Later, Limon told him to deliver Brishti to Clearwater.
Detectives searched the Howard Frankland Bridge and found a black garbage bag.
Abu Gharbeh’s left little finger was bandaged during interrogation. He said that this injury occurred while cutting onions. However, detectives noticed multiple fresh wounds on his arms and legs. On April 23 he again asked ChatGPT, “What does missing endangered adult mean?”
April 24: Limon’s body recovered
The remains of a man, identified as Jamil Ahmed Limon, were recovered from a bag found on the bridge, the court was told.
Limon’s death has been ruled a homicide. Multiple stab wounds were found on his body. According to the medical report, his Liver was ruptured due to a deep stab wound.
Abu Gharbeh was arrested that morning at a home in the Lutz, Florida area.
April 25: Accused produced in court
Hisham Abu Gharbeh was brought to court for the first time this morning. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, in addition to the murder charge, he was charged with several other charges—unlawful removal of a body, concealment of death, tampering with evidence, illegal detention, and physical abuse.
