TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The attorney for the suspect of killing two University of South Florida doctoral students entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf on Monday.
Hisham Abugharbieh is facing two capital murder charges for the death of Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon in mid-April.
TIMELINE: What happened to USF murder victims Zamil Limon, Nahida Bristy?
State Attorney Suzy Lopez mentioned the state will seek the death penalty for the suspect. Abugharbieh was not present in the courtroom on Monday morning.
“There’s a couple of terabytes worth of discovery that both sides need to get through, and so now, the next steps now are just digging into the discovery and seeing where this case is going to take us,” Lopez said.
There will be a status conference in December to discuss the progress of the case. The trial itself is scheduled to start Nov. 3, 2027.
Death penalty sought for man accused of murdering 2 USF doctoral students
The dates are flexible due to the defense and prosecution needing time to prepare…