Florida student killings become latest crime probe to center on ChatGPT use

A brutal double murder investigation in Florida has become the latest high-profile criminal case to place ChatGPT at the center of evidence gathering, intensifying scrutiny over how AI tools are being used in violent crimes.

Authorities say 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh, charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the deaths of University of South Florida doctoral students Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon, allegedly used ChatGPT extensively in the days leading up to the killings. 

Court documents show the suspect queried the chatbot about body disposal, changing a vehicle identification number, gun possession laws and whether a body placed in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster could be discovered.

Limon’s body was recovered near the Howard Frankland Bridge in St. Petersburg, while investigators searching for Bristy later found human remains believed to be hers. 

Prosecutors say the victims disappeared on April 16 and that digital records, surveillance footage and blood evidence tie Abugharbieh to the crime. He is currently being held without bond.

The case is the second in Florida this month to draw law-enforcement attention to ChatGPT’s alleged role in criminal planning. 

State Attorney General James Uthmeier last week opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI after prosecutors reviewed chat logs linked to the 2025 Florida State University mass shooting, saying the chatbot may have offered “significant advice” before the attack.

OpenAI has said it is cooperating with authorities in both matters and maintains that ChatGPT does not encourage illegal or harmful acts.

The growing use of chatbot transcripts in homicide investigations is rapidly turning AI platforms into a new form of digital witness — and a new legal battleground over where machine assistance ends and criminal responsibility begins.