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- [00:02]
Vanessa Richardson
Hi listeners, it's Vanessa. Before we get into today's episode, I want to tell you about another show I think you'll love, hidden history with Dr. Harini Bhat. Every Monday, Dr. Bhat goes where history gets mysterious. Vanished civilizations, doomsday prophecies, paranormal phenomena and events that science still can't fully explain. Dr. Bot treats these moments like open case files. Not myths, not superstition, just incomplete explanations waiting for a closer look. Hidden History drops every Monday. Follow now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen, so you never miss a mystery.
- [00:52]
Katie Ring
This is Crime House.
- [00:56]
Vanessa Richardson
All right friends, it's time for your daily true Crime rundown. Grab your coffee, settle in, and let's talk about the cases everyone's going to be discussing today. We're starting with the biggest case. It's one we've been following closely. Two doctoral students from Bangladesh who arrived to the University of South Florida chasing their dreams and were found dead in Tampa Bay this week. Prosecutors announced they're seeking the death penalty for the man charged with killing them. This is crime house 24 7, your non stop source for the biggest crime cases developing right now. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Vanessa Richardson and we have quite a lineup for you today. Here's what you need to know. Lately I've been trying to take the stress out of getting dressed. Just focusing on pieces that feel easy, comfortable and still put together without a lot of effort. That's really what's been pulling me toward Quint. 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That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com crimehouse247 for free shipping and 365 day returns quince.com crimehouse247 so we first told you about this case in late April and the developments since then have only added to the weight of it. Two young people who crossed an ocean to build a future through education are dead. Liman's roommate, Hisham Saleh Abu Gharbia has since been charged with killing them both. And this week the state of Florida announced it will seek the death penalty against him. On Friday, May 8, the Hillsboro State Attorney's office filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against 26 year old Abu Garbia. The filing came one day after a grand jury indicted him on seven counts, including two counts of first degree murder. In announcing the decision, State Attorney Susie Lopez was direct. She said, quote, we will ask the jury to sentence the defendant to death, death for his crimes. These are families who sent their children across the world with hope and now they're left with an unimaginable loss. We stand with them in their grief and we will not stop seeking justice for Nahida and Zamil. The Hillsborough state attorney's office cited three aggravating factors. First, that the homicides were committed in a, quote, cold, calculated and premeditated manner. Second, that the crimes were, quote, especially heinous, atrocious or cruel. And third, that the defendant committed multiple homicides during the same criminal episode. Abu Gharbia has pleaded not guilty and his public defender's office has declined to comment on the case. To understand why this case has shaken Tampa and drawn national attention, you have to go back to April 16th. Zamil Lemon and Nahida Bristie were both 27 years old, both from Bangladesh and both pursuing doctoral degrees at the University of South Florida. Lamon was studying geography and environment science. Bristie was in chemical engineering. They had been in a relationship, had talked about marriage and were building a life together in Tampa while focused on finishing their degrees. Limon's brother said he'd planned to fly home that summer and dreamed of becoming a university professor. On the morning of April 16, Limon was last seen at the off campus apartment he shared with Abu Gharbia. Bristi was spotted about an hour later at a campus science building. And then nothing. Just silence. A family friend reported them missing on April 17th. Le man never showed up for a thesis meeting with his professor. The following day, the evidence against Abu Gharbia started accumulating quickly. Prosecutors say he told detectives he'd not seen either of them. But cell phone records and surveillance footage told a different story. His car appeared on camera near Clearwater beach that night, in the same area where Limon's phone had last pinged. When questioned further, his story change, detectives noticed a bandage on his left pinky finger. A receipt from a CVS drugstore dated the day the couple vanished showed purchases of trash bags, Lysol wipes and Febreze. A search of the apartment complex's dumpster turned up Lemon's student id, credit cards and DNA evidence linked to both victims. And then there was what prosecutors found on his phone. You might want to sit down for this one. Three days before Le man and Bristi disappeared, Abu Gharbia had typed a question into ChatGPT asking what would happen if a person was put in a black garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster. He followed up by asking how that would Smell. But the ChatGPT searches didn't stop there. According to a pretrial detention report filed by prosecutors, Abu Gharbia also asked the chatbot whether he could change the vehicle identification number on his car and whether he could keep a gun at home without a license. Chatgpt flagged his body disposal question as dangerous. Then, three days after Le Mans and Bristy disappeared, he returned to the chatbot, this time asking, quote, has there been someone who survived a sniper bullet to the head and will my neighbors hear my gun? End quote. On April 23, a week after the disappearances, he typed another question. What does missing endangered adult mean? The extended pattern of searches has drawn the attention of Florida's Attorney General, James Uthmeyer, who announced his office was expanding an existing investigation into ChatGPT's role in a separate Florida shooting to include Abu Gharbia's case. Calling the legal territory, quote, uncharted territory, the case broke open on April 24. Deputies responded to Abu Gharbia's family home for an unrelated domestic violence call. They got his family members out safely, but Abu Gharbia barricaded himself inside. A SWAT team was called. He eventually walked out with his hands up. That same day, investigators found Liman's remains on the Howard Franklin Bridge over Tampa Bay inside a heavy duty trash bag. Prosecutors say the autopsy confirmed multiple stab wounds, including one to his lower back that penetrated his liver. He also appeared to have been bound. Prosecutors believe Bristie was killed the same way. Two days later, on April 26, a kayaker found a second set of human remains in nearby water. Those remains were later confirmed to be Bristy. Returning to the apartment with a search warrant, detectives found blood residue leading from the kitchen To Abu Gharbia's bedroom and more blood, enough to have soaked through his bedroom carpet. In Lemon's bedroom, they found Bristy's campus ID and her credit. Detectives also used cell phone location data and license plate reader information to track Abu Ghabia's car and Le Mans phone to the exact stretch of the Howard Franklin bridge where Le Mans body was found. This was not Abu Gharbia's first contact with law enforcement. Court records show prior arrests for battery and burglary in 2023, a diversion program he completed in 2024, and two domestic violence petitions filed by a family member, one of which a relative alleged he had attacked both his brother and his mother. CNN obtained the police report from that 2023 incident. It showed that during an argument about his erratic behavior, Abu Gharbia punched his brother, causing him to fall, then kicked his mother in the back. A family member submitted a victim impact letter to the court noting that his behavior had worsened after he started using medical marijuana. The relative wrote, quote, hisham used to be a cool guy, a supportive and helpful eldest son. It turned him mentally ill with hurtful behavior and anger problems, end quote. His younger brother, Ahmad, spoke to CBS News after the arrest and said the family had tried to raise the alarm for years. He said, quote, we tried to warn police in the past, end quote. Ahmad also revealed he dropped the 2023 battery charges against his brother due to financial constraints. He said, quote, I regretted that choice immediately after, end quote. He had a message for the victims families, quote, I just can't stop thinking about all of them, end quote. He added that Hisham should never have been living with roommates. He said he should have lived on his own or been homeless. Hillsborough County Chief Deputy Joseph Moore noted at a press conference that when detectives first questioned Abu Garbia and another roommate, one was extremely cooperative and determined not to be involved. The other, Abu Gharbia, had, in the sheriff's words, stories that were, quote, inconsistent. Abu Gharbia had previously attended USF himself from the spring 2021 semester through spring 2023, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in management. University officials confirmed he was not enrolled at the time of the murders. According to court records, he'd been estranged from his family since 2023. No motive has been publicly disclosed. Investigators have not said why Abu Gharbia allegedly targeted Limon and Bristi specifically. What has been established, according to prosecutors, is a pattern of deliberate, premeditated action. The chatgpt searches, the trash bags, the cleaning supplies, the disposal of the bodies miles from the apartment. Prosecutors have said they believe the killings were planned. This next bit is the toughest part to hear. Limon's family described him as a gentle, brilliant person who had poured everything into his education. Bristie's family in Bangladesh has called on authorities to seek the highest possible punishment. Both families are thousands of miles away from the courtroom where this case will play out. On Friday, May 8, the same day prosecutors filed the death penalty notice, USF held its spring graduation ceremony. Zamil Lehman and Nahid PETA Bristie were awarded their doctoral degrees posthumously. Two chairs sat empty on the stage to represent them. Abu Gharbia will be arraigned on May 18 and remains in custody without bond. The death penalty process in Florida requires the jury to unanimously recommend death before a judge can impose it. That decision, if it comes, is still a long way away. But as of this week, the state of Florida has made its position clear. From Tampa we go to Jamaica, where a 35 year old accountant from Queens, New York flew to the island to celebrate her birthday with a man she's believed to have recently married. She never made it to that birthday and the man is still on the run.
- [12:57]
Katie Ring
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- [12:59]
Vanessa Richardson
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- [13:01]
Katie Ring
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- [13:10]
David Ridgeon
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- [14:09]
Vanessa Richardson
10, the Jamaica Constabulary force publicly appealed for help locating a man named Dane Watson, a person of interest in the alleged murder of Melissa Carey Samnath, a 35 year old accountant from Queens Village, New York. Melissa had traveled to Jamaica to celebrate her birthday with Watson, whom she's believed to have married just five months earlier. As of this recording, Watson has not been found, but to understand why police are searching for him, you have to go back to the night Melissa arrived in jamaica. Shortly before 11pm she sent an ominous WhatsApp message to her family in New York. It read, quote, I need you to call the cops. Look at my location. It is a pink house, end quote. That was the last anyone heard from her. It's chilling. According to Melissa's niece, Janice Winter, the next call came from a woman they had never spoken to before, Watson's own mother. Her voice was breathy and raspy. She told them her son had called her to say he had killed Melissa. And then, according to the family, he left her in a wheelchair at Cornwall Regional Hospital in the parish of St. James and walked away. Winter told the Jamaica Gleaner, that's a national daily news outlet in Jamaica. Quote, he didn't even have the audacity to take her into the hospital, end quote. Hospital staff alerted police after Melissa was pronounced dead. The Jamaica Constabulary force launched an investigation and it led them to a pink apartment complex in Norwood, St James, the same house Melissa had described in her final message. Inside, detectives reportedly found pools of blood and some of Melissa's belongings. A post mortem examination conducted on May 6 determined the cause of death, multiple blunt force trauma to the head. The man police are now seeking is Dane Watson, whom Melissa is believed to have married in December 2025, just five months before her death. He's described by the Jamaica Constabulary force as a person of interest in the murder investigation. Police say Watson assisted Melissa to the hospital, left shortly after and has not been seen since. Investigators believe Watson is from Ocho Rios, a resort town on Jamaica's north coast, and has been living in Montego bay for approximately two years before Melissa's death. Death. He's known to frequent St. James, St. Anne and St. Mary parishes. Jamaican authorities are actively seeking the public's help in locating him and have urged him to report to the Freeport police station in St. James or the nearest police station. Melissa, according to investigators, is believed to have met Watson online before traveling to Jamaica. She flew in from Queens Village on the night of April 29th. Surveillance footage later obtained by investigators reportedly shows Watson carry her suitcases while Melissa walked behind him, leaving her Airbnb. It was unclear, according to the Gleaner, whether she left that property willingly. What happened next took place at Watson's home in Norwood, a pink apartment complex. Residents of the complex told the Gleaner they did not hear any screams or signs of distress. They described the scene. When police arrived, quote, there was a whole heap of blood in his house in Norwood. Him beat her badly. Man beat her in the head, end quote. According to the family's account, Watson told his mother he'd killed Melissa, but he has not been charged in the days since. Jamaican authorities have conducted multiple police operations throughout the island, and the case has circulated widely on social media. As of this recording, Watson remains at large. For Melissa's family in New York, the grief has been layered with disbelief and unanswered questions. Winter, her niece, told the Gleaner that Melissa was the youngest of four siblings, the baby of the family. She described her as deeply family oriented, the person who stepped up to care for her grandmother and aunt after her grandfather died. Winter said, quote, she didn't deserve that. My aunt was very helpful and family oriented. It has been hard on us. We can't understand why he did this to her. She wasn't an evil person. She was the baby of our family. Now we have to bring her body back to Barry, end quote. A GoFundMe page created to help with funeral and memorial expenses has raised over $10,000 toward a $16,000 goal since it was launched last week. The organizer wrote, quote, melissa was a strong, loving and unforgettable woman whose warmth touched everyone around her. She loved traveling, exploring new places and spending time with the people she cared for most. End quote. Dane Watson remains a person of interest and has not been charged. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Jamaica Constabulary force. Stay with us on Crime House 24 7. We'll continue to follow these cases as they develop. If you're the proud parent of a puppy or kitten, you know you can't pet proof your entire life. There simply isn't a sock drawer high enough or a couch cover thick enough. But you can pet proof your wallet with Lemonade Pet insurance. Whether it's an unexpected accident or a routine checkup, Lemonade can cover up to 90% of the bill. Plus they can handle claims in as little as two seconds. So before you turn into a complete helicopter pet parent, get a'@lemonade.com pet this
- [19:52]
David Ridgeon
episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy. Just drop in some details about yourself and see if you're eligible to save money. When you bundle your home and auto policies, the process only takes minutes and it could mean hundreds more in your pocket. Visit progressive.com after this episode to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. Jacqueline Furlan Smith, a 40 year old former Canadian military trainer moves to Costa Rica to follow her dreams, but in the summer of 2021 vanishes without a trace.
- [20:31]
Katie Ring
How can a woman just go missing and us put out all that effort
- [20:35]
Vanessa Richardson
to find her and she's still missing?
- [20:38]
David Ridgeon
I'm David Ridgeon and this is Someone knows something, season 10, the Jacqueline Furlan Smith case, available now on CBC, listen and wherever you get your podcasts.
- [20:49]
Vanessa Richardson
Well, before I let you go, you know we can't end without giving you a little something extra. Over on America's Most Infamous Crimes Today, Katie's covering part one of the Tylenol how seven strangers were killed in one night. On a single night in 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after taking Tylenol. They didn't know each other, they weren't targeted, and the killer never had to get close to a single one of them. In the first of three episodes on the Tylenol murders, Katie Ring takes you back to the night it began. The Janus family struck down one by one in their own home. The 12 year old who took two pills for a sore throat and never came back downstairs, and the flight attendant who stopped at a Walgreens on her way home from work and never made it out. As investigators scrambled to piece together what the victims had in common, they uncovered something that would change the way Americans think about the products they buy forever. This episode contains descriptions of poisoning. Please listen with care. We grabbed a clip from today's episode. Take a listen and if you like what you hear, don't Forget to follow America's most infamous crimes on September 29,
- [22:06]
Katie Ring
1982, 27 year old postal worker Adam Janice had the kind of ordinary Tuesday that most of us don't even think twice about. He picked up his four year old daughter from preschool, then stopped at the grocery store near their home in Arlington Heights, a quiet suburb just northwest of Chicago. He grabbed a couple of steaks, some flowers for his wife Teresa, and a bottle of Tylenol. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a young father running errands, trying to do something nice for his family. But Adam was feeling a bit under the weather, so after he got home and got their daughter settled, he went into the bathroom and took a couple pills of Tylenol. A moment later he walked out clutching his chest. Teresa could immediately tell that something was wrong, and she called for help. When EMTs arrived on the scene, they were pretty sure that Adam was having a heart attack. But something about that didn't sit right. Because Adam was young, he was healthy, he didn't have a history of heart problems, and yet here he was, 27 years old, crumpling to the floor. While Adam was rushed to the hospital, Teresa called his brother Joe, who got there as fast as he could. Joe then called their third brother, Stanley, and he and his wife Terry dropped everything and raced to the hospital to be with the family. And then Dr. Thomas Kim, the hospital's chief of critical care, walked into the waiting room and delivered the worst news a family can get. Adam was dead. His family didn't understand how this could happen. He was 27 years old, in perfect health, with a little girl at home and a wife who'd been waiting up for him. And now he was gone. With nowhere else to go, the Janices went back to Adam and Teresa's house in Arlington Heights to be together in their grief. But the night wasn't over yet. A little while later, Adam's brother Stanley walked down the hall to the bathroom. A minute went by, then Stanley stumbled back into the room where the family was gathered and collapsed. He was foaming at the mouth, and his brother Joe noticed a cloudy white film had come over his eyes. Paramedics were called back to the Janices home. And in a strange and unsettling coincidence, it was the same crew that had responded to Adam's call just hours earlier. And when Fire Lieutenant Chuck Kramer arrived at the scene, someone told him what happened. The exact same symptoms, the exact same progression. In the same house, in the same family, on the same night. Kramer had been thinking about Adam's case ever since the first call came in. Something had been nagging at him. The chest pain tracked with cardiac arrest. But other things didn't. Adam's breathing had been shallow and rapid. His eyes were fixed, dilated and non responsive. That wasn't a typical heart attack. And now here was his brother with the same exact symptoms. The scene was chaotic. Paramedics were working to keep Stanley alive. His wife Terry was beside herself, clutching Lt. Kramer's arm as she wept. And then mid sob, she let go. She let out a small groan and collapsed to the floor. Kramer pulled out a flashlight and shined it into her eyes. They were fixed and dilated, just like the others. Whatever this was, it was not a heart attack. Stanley and Terry were loaded into ambulances and rushed to Northwest Community Hospital the same Hospital that had just declared Adam dead. Dr. Kim was on his way out for the night when he spotted the two new patients being rushed in on stretchers. He couldn't leave things like that. So Dr. Kim stopped, turned around, and walked straight back into the icu. He couldn't wrap his head around what he was looking at. Three people from the same family, all struck down in the same way within hours of each other. He turned over every possibility in his mind. Carbon monoxide poisoning, botulism, some rare infection, but nothing quite fit. Whatever this was, Dr. Kim couldn't let it spread any further. Once he stabilized Stanley and Terry, he made a judgment call. He quarantined everyone who had been in contact with him. The family, the paramedics. Everyone was directed into a conference room and told to stay put until he could rule out a deadly virus. No one was allowed to leave. Chuck Kramer sat in that conference room and felt the frustration of a man who knows something is wrong but can't prove it yet. So he picked up the phone and called his friend Helen Jensen, the only public health official in Arlington Heights, and told her what he'd seen. Helen didn't wait. She drove straight to the hospital and found Teresa, Adam's wife, who was the one person who had witnessed the entire course of the day. The Janices were Polish immigrants, so it wasn't easy to communicate. But through a translator, Teresa was able to walk Helen through everything. The school pickup, the grocery store, the steaks, the flowers, and the Tylenol. Helen had a hunch, and she needed to see the house for herself. When she got there, everything was neat and undisturbed. She moved through the rooms methodically, looking for anything that seemed out of place. She checked the home. Jarred fruits on the counter, the lilies Adam had bought, a pot of black coffee and some cherry juice. She opened the refrigerator and looked for anything spoiled. Nothing. The house was clean and ordinary in every way. Then she went into the bathroom. On the counter she found a bottle of Tylenol and a store receipt from that day. There was a pill count on the outside, so Helen tipped it over and counted what was left. Six capsules were missing. Two for Adam, two for Stanley, two for Terry. The Tylenol was the only thing all three victims had in common. Helen brought her theory to an investigator from the medical examiner's office, but he dismissed it. Millions of people took Tylenol every day. That couldn't possibly be the connection. But Chuck Kramer heard her out, and he agreed. As terrifying as the idea was, it was the only explanation that made any sense. And if it was true, they had a much bigger problem on their hands. By then, Dr. Kim had already ruled out a contagious virus and lifted the quarantine. But the danger was just getting started. Later that night, Kramer got a phone call from a fellow fire lieutenant named Phil Cappotelli. Phil had heard about the Janices case on the dispatch radio, and it stopped him cold because earlier that same day, he'd responded to a call with the same symptoms, the same rapid collapse, the same fixed and dilated eyes. And the patient was already dead.
- [28:47]
Vanessa Richardson
That's Katie Ring, host of America's Most Infamous Crimes. And that's just a taste. Part one on the Tylenol murders is out right now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Just search America's most infamous crimes and make sure you follow so you don't miss parts tomorrow. And three, you've been listening to Crime House 24 7, bringing you breaking crime news. I'm Vanessa Richardson. We'll be back tomorrow morning with more developing stories. Stay safe and thanks for listening.
- [29:22]
Katie Ring
I'm Katie Ring, host of America's Most Infamous Crimes. Each week I take on one of the most notorious criminal cases in American history. Listen to and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes available now wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:37]
Vanessa Richardson
Looking for your next listen? Check out hidden history with Dr. Harini Bhatt every Monday. Dr. Bhatt goes where history gets mysterious vanished civilizations, doomsday prophecies, and events that science still can't fully explain. Follow Hidden History now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. Listen.