Shivangi Sinha
In September 2012, 18-year-old Christian S. Aguilar disappeared while studying at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He was last seen with his former high school friend, Pedro Bravo. When he failed to return home, suspicions quickly turned to Pedro. Investigators uncovered evidence suggesting Pedro had lured Christian into his car, attacked him out of jealousy, and later hid his body. In 2014, Pedro was convicted of first-degree murder. ABC’s ‘20/20’ episode ‘Killer on Campus’ delves into the case and its disturbing motives.
Pedro Bravo Was the Last Person to See Christian Aguilar Alive
Pedro Bravo spent much of his early life in Doral, located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. His parents, Azucena Duque and Pedro Bravo Sr. gave him the best they could. He attended Doral Academy Preparatory School, where he met Erika Friman, and the two began a relationship that lasted around three years. However, in the summer of 2012, when Erika was accepted into Santa Fe College, she chose to end the relationship. The breakup was devastating for Pedro, who still hoped they might reconcile. Wanting to stay close to her, he also enrolled at Santa Fe College, but things didn’t unfold the way he had hoped. Erika soon began dating Christian S. Aguilar, a mutual friend from high school. Due to the complicated dynamics, Erika and Christian initially kept their relationship hidden from Pedro, but he eventually discovered the truth through mutual acquaintances.
On the evening of September 20, 2012, Pedro arranged to meet Christian, and the two went out together. They were seen on CCTV footage visiting a fast food spot and then stopping at a CD store. By the next morning, when Christian hadn’t returned home, his girlfriend, Erika Friman, and his parents, Carlos and Claudia Aguilar, grew concerned and reported him missing. It prompted a large-scale search effort that quickly drew media attention. Interestingly, the first person Erika contacted was Pedro. He claimed he had dropped Christian off and hadn’t seen him since and even accompanied Erika to file the missing person report. However, police soon questioned Pedro, during which he gave conflicting accounts, including a claim that he had picked up a hitchhiker. He insisted he had no idea what had happened to Christian.
Police grew increasingly suspicious of Pedro after learning about his past romantic relationship with Erika. Although he claimed he had no hard feelings about Erika dating Christian and insisted he had moved on, investigators felt he was being evasive. Under further questioning, Pedro admitted that he and Christian had gotten into an argument while driving, which escalated into a physical altercation. He claimed Christian sustained a minor injury and then asked to be let out on the side of the highway, after which Pedro said he never saw him again. However, discrepancies in Pedro’s story and timeline began to emerge. Detectives charged him with failure to render aid and obtained a search warrant for his car.
Evidence Suggested that Pedro Bravo Killed Christian Aguilar in His Car
Inside Pedro Bravo’s car, investigators found duct tape, a bottle of Gatorade, and dirt that raised red flags. The Gatorade bottle had traces of sedatives, but he claimed that he had been planning to harm himself. A subsequent search of his home uncovered a receipt dated the day before Christian’s disappearance, listing suspicious items like a shovel, duct tape, bandages, and sleep aids. Though police pressed him for a confession, Pedro stuck to his original version of events. The breakthrough came when they discovered his journal, which detailed his emotional distress over losing Erika, his resentment toward Christian, and a step-by-step plan to kill him. He was arrested on September 24, 2012, and charged with first-degree murder. Weeks later, on October 12, hunters in the wooded area of the Gulf Hammock Hunting Club in Levy County stumbled upon human remains. Forensic analysis confirmed they were Christian’s. Duct tape found at the scene was also matched to the roll found in Pedro’s car.
Christian’s autopsy revealed that he had died from a combination of poisoning and strangulation. Using GPS data from Pedro’s phone, investigators reconstructed a timeline of events. They determined that after driving around for some time, the two teens were parked in the Walmart parking lot on Northwest 13th Street for over two hours. Authorities believe it was during this period that Pedro poisoned Christian by lacing the Gatorade with sedatives and then strangled him with a belt. He then allegedly transported the remains to a remote wooded area, where he used a shovel to dig a shallow grave. Investigators concluded that the murder was premeditated, driven by jealousy, and carefully planned by Pedro in the days leading up to the crime.
Pedro Bravo Was Found Dead in His Prison Cell
Pedro Bravo’s trial began in August 2014, during which the prosecution presented extensive evidence, including testimonies from multiple witnesses. Erika Friman took the stand to provide context about her past relationship with Pedro and the events leading up to Christian Aguilar’s disappearance. A crucial testimony came from a fellow inmate who claimed Pedro had confessed to the murder while in jail. The inmate also revealed that Pedro had hidden the shovel in his backyard. Acting on this tip, investigators recovered the shovel, which supported the inmate’s account. Based on the overwhelming evidence, the jury found Pedro guilty of first-degree murder, false imprisonment, poisoning, tampering with physical evidence, and several other charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Pedro consistently maintained his innocence following his conviction, and in 2016, he filed an appeal seeking a review of his case. His primary argument was based on the fact that the jailhouse informant who had testified against him later recanted his statement. However, the appeal was denied. Investigations into the recantation revealed that the testimony had been fabricated, leading to new charges against Bravo, including racketeering, conspiracy to commit perjury, perjury in a capital proceeding, and tampering with a capital proceeding. Before a sentence could be issued on these charges, Bravo killed himself on March 12, 2025, at the Okeechobee Correctional Institution in Okeechobee, Florida.
Read More: Erika Friman: Where is Christian Aguilar’s Girlfriend Now?
