As a one-time student at the University of Florida, Pedro Bravo was brought to public prominence when his conviction of murdering fellow student, Christian Aguilar, occurred in 2014. As delineated in a CBS Miami report from August 15, 2014, Bravo was rendered a verdict of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This judgement was the result of him being adjudged guilty of seven separate charges inclusive of first-degree murder and abduction.
However, almost ten years after his conviction, Bravo’s case has once more garnered public interest. Making a bold venture from his prison cell, Bravo endeavored to have the previous ruling against him overturned. Essential to this plot were key figures including Brandon Campbell, a fellow incarcerated individual, a new ‘eyewitness’ named Kelcie Edwards, and Michael Angelo who previously served as an informant within the prison system.
Unearthed by the investigative work of local authorities, this plan was made evident through traceable Cash App payments and contentious phone conversations. ABC News published a broadcast on June 20, 2025 that detailed this information. Furthermore, unraveling the scheme led to both Edwards and Angelo confessing to their roles with charges of fraud and perjury, respectively.
According to another media publication, Bravo succumbed to suicide in his cell at Okeechobee Correctional Institution. Local 10 news reported on March 14, 2025, that the 31-year-old was found dead just two days prior on March 12, 2025. The timing of his untimely passing was notably close to his imminent court appearance where he was set to counter new charges of racketeering and perjury in Alachua County.
The life and incidents surrounding Pedro Bravo from being a suspect in Christian Aguilar’s murder in 2012 to the failed attempt to overturn his conviction are now being deeply explored. Bravo first emerged as a potential suspect on the night of September 20, 2012. This was the same evening that Christian Aguilar, a University of Florida freshman, was declared missing. Aguilar was last seen in Gainesville meeting with Bravo.
In the ensuing investigation, Bravo’s ownership of a particular SUV was linked to the crime. Evidence included Aguilar’s blood stain present on a floor mat contained within the vehicle. Surveillance cameras captured footage of Bravo cleaning the SUV at 1 am. A receipt from Lowe’s revealed purchases of suspicious items like a shovel and a sports drink. Chillingly, this was paired with data revealing search queries like ‘Where can I bury a body?’ made from Bravo’s computer.
On October 12, Aguilar’s remains were discovered by hunters in Levy County, adjacent to Gainesville. The body was bound with duct tape, which was later matched to a roll found in Bravo’s vehicle. At the trial held in August 2014, court prosecutors successfully argued premeditation by presenting evidence of a Gatorade bottle containing sedatives and diary entries meticulously detailing plans to make Aguilar ‘disappear’.
Upon the jury’s deliberation, lasting a mere three hours, Bravo was found guilty on all seven counts. Consequently, Judge James Colaw issued a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for Bravo. The Judge expressed his views, implying Bravo robbed Aguilar of his past, present, and future possessions and experiences.
During his tenure in Okeechobee Correctional Institution, Bravo engaged in legal measures as a means to challenge and possibly overturn his conviction. A report detailed his filing of a post-conviction motion in 2023 centered on the testimonies of two new witnesses.
The new narratives were from Michael Angelo, a previous cellmate who took back a 2014 confession, and Kelcie Edwards who contended she saw Aguilar walk away unharmed. Despite this, an investigative sweep uncovered illicit payments and correspondences between Edwards and Bravo facilitated through inmate Brandon Campbell. These lies and deceit exposed a calculated attempt to affect the outcome of the judicial proceedings.
Admitting to the gravity and scale of the scheme, State Attorney Brian Kramer expressed his astonishment at the level of falsehood and fabrication that permeated this case. Unfortunately for Bravo, the scheme was dismantled when both Edwards and Angelo admitted to their crimes, pledging guilty to fraud and perjury respectively.
Merely days before new charges were to be presented in court against him, on March 12, 2025, Pedro Bravo ended his own life in prison. Despite this, the prosecution confirmed that additional charges, including racketeering, conspiracy, and resultant tampering, would proceed against both Angelo and Edwards.
Many pieces of evidence contradicted Pedro Bravo’s ever-evolving narratives, as both physical and digital artifacts were brought to light against him. There were phone records indicating deliberate actions, handwritten notes speaking of jealousy towards an ex-girlfriend Erika Friman, and shopping lists that included items used in the execution of the crime.
The veracity of the accusations were made irrefutable by the alignment of lime traces found on the shovel Bravo had purchased with the soil where the body was buried. Carlos Aguilar, the victim’s father, conveyed his unwavering persistence to seek justice for his son during the initial search efforts, stating his family’s resolve in finding Christian, regardless of the personal sacrifices involved.