USF murders suspect being arraigned Monday

TAMPA, Fla. - Hashim Abugarbieh, the man accused of killing two USF doctoral students, is being arraigned on Monday.

Florida capital sentencing prosecution

What we know:

The double murders of USF doctoral students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon have been consolidated into one case, meaning Abugarbieh will face a single trial for both deaths. He faces a total of eight charges in this death penalty case.

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Florida updated its death penalty requirements in 2023, allowing capital sentencing if two specific criteria are met: a premeditated first-degree murder with aggravating circumstances, and a suspect accused of multiple murders in a single incident or over time. Prosecutors filed a legal notice stating the crime was cold, calculated, and premeditated, that it was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, and that Abugarbieh has a prior violent felony conviction. 

What they're saying:

State Attorney Lopez noted that premeditation is evident in the suspect's use of AI for ideas on how to dispose of a human body. 

"Everything that the defendant was thinking is seen in his ChatGPT questions that he asked," 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." 

What we don't know:

The exact motive behind the targeted killings of the two students remains unclear. 

State execution guidelines

The backstory:

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law in 2023 that allows a judge to impose the death penalty if eight out of 12 jurors vote in favor of execution, which overturned a previous state law that required a completely unanimous jury recommendation.