USF student Omer Hossain said he experienced everything from joy to struggle with Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy.
Speaking to a crowd of hundreds at the University of South Florida’s vigil for the two students on Friday, Hossain said they had been his best friends.
He said he had dreamt they all would continue to grow together forever.
“I’ll cherish all of those memories for my entire life,” he said.
Bristy and Limon, both 27, went missing two weeks ago. Limon’s body was found in a trash bag on the Howard Frankland Bridge on April 24 and Bristy’s body was found on Sunday by a fisherman, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister confirmed on Friday. Hisham Abugharbieh, Limon’s roommate, faces two counts of first-degree murder and other charges.
USF, along with the student government and the Bangladesh Student Association, organized the vigil on Friday afternoon to honor Limon and Bristy.
President Moez Limayem spoke alongside the students’ friends and professors just outside of the Marshall Student Center. A line of attendees holding bouquets of white flowers stretched around Crescent Hill and quiet music played.
Ariyan Ullah, president of the Bangladesh Student Association, lived with Limon for a few days when he first came to the university. He remembers cooking him dinners, playing soccer and taking him out to Panera. Limon was a soft-spoken people person, Ullah said.
Kai Rains, Limon’s co-adviser, started a GoFundMe for Limon and Bristy’s families in Bangladesh. She said in an email that he was always ready to give a hand to other graduate students. He was hard-working, polite and quick to smile and laugh, she said.
Vinay Gupta, the chairperson and graduate adviser in the engineering department, told attendees that Bristy brought a smart demeanor and enthusiasm to her coursework. She became a teacher’s assistant her first semester and was always helping new graduate students adjust, he said.
By talking with Bristy’s friends, Gupta learned she was a talented performer and always carried an umbrella to protect herself from the Florida sun.
Zubaer Ahmed, Limon’s brother, said in a phone call with the Tampa Bay Times that Limon had lived with Abugharbieh for two months in Avalon Heights, an off-campus apartment complex. They did not previously know each other, he said.
Ahmed said Limon often told him that his “American roommate” was unpleasant and unsocial. Abugharbieh often stayed in his room, Ahmed remembers Limon saying. Ahmed said Limon and his other roommate, Rishit Raj Mathur, filed a complaint about Abugharbieh to the complex.
One time, Limon’s friend used some of Abugharbieh’s soap, and Abugharbieh yelled at that friend, Ahmed said. He said Limon went to the store to buy new soap.
“My brother was always kind of afraid of him” Ahmed said. “He always tried to remain polite and silent.”
Ullad said the Bangladesh Student Association will not stop asking for justice. The Avalon Heights complex should also be held accountable, he said.
It’s the university’s negligence and failure that a person like Abugharbieh lived with two USF students, Ullad said.
“Let this vigil not just be a memorial, but a point of reflection,” he said.
USF student Abraham Albadawi started a petition demanding accountability and changes from both the Avalon Heights apartment complex and USF. He said USF needs to remedy their process of how off-campus housing options are presented and listed to students.
“People will trust USF, and it effectively would sound like it’s approved by them, even if it’s not directly approved,” he said.
In a message to the student community, Limayem said the university is reviewing the conditions and safety measures at off-campus housing complexes. USF is also looking over how off-campus housing resources are presented to students, spokesperson Althea Johnson said. USF appears to have removed a page on Avalon Heights from its off-campus housing website.
Gina Cowert, an Avalon Heights spokesperson, said the safety and security of residents is their highest priority.
“We are committed to supporting law enforcement in any way we can throughout this investigation and continue to fully cooperate with that process,” she said.
Limayem said at the vigil that Limon and Bristy will be a constant reminder to him that nothing is more important than the safety and dignity of students, both on and off campus.
“(Limon and Bristy) would be proud of us that we united with each other to help them, to help our community,” Hossain said.
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