Crime and Courts

Who was Pedro Bravo?: The man found dead in prison after murder of UF student

In "The Fatal Obsession of Pedro Bravo," NBC6 examined the circumstances behind the 2012 disappearance and murder of Christian Aguilar, at the time an 18-year-old student at the University of Florida.

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The documentary delves into the details of what led Bravo to commit his atrocious crime.

A South Florida man sentenced to life for the murder of a former friend back in 2012 has been found dead in prison.

According to family members and a state prosecutor, Pedro Bravo was found to have died by suicide at the Okeechobee Correctional Institution on Wednesday night at around 10 p.m.

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It's been more than 10 years since Bravo began serving a life sentence without parole for the death of Christian Aguilar.

In "The Fatal Obsession of Pedro Bravo," NBC6 examined the circumstances behind the 2012 disappearance and murder of Aguilar, at the time an 18-year-old student at the University of Florida.

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Aguilar was killed at the hands of his friend Pedro Bravo -- a crime that authorities said was caused by obsession and a a rivalry over a woman.

A jury in Alachua County in northern Florida announced its verdict after two weeks of intense deliberations and an extensive presentation of evidence.

The documentary is part of the series 'Anatomy of a Crime' and it delves into the details of what led Bravo to commit his atrocious crime.

In this documentary, we hear testimonies from Christian's father, Carlos Aguilar, the detective in charge of the case, Randy Roberts, and the prosecutor Brian Kramer.

We also hear police interviews with Erika Friman, who was Christian's girlfriend and Bravo's ex-girlfriend, as well as Alyssa Ortiz, who was also Christian's ex-girlfriend and from Bravo himself.

The crime was meticulously planned by Bravo, who, days before Aguilar's death, purchased a shovel, sleeping medication, a hunting knife and duct tape, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Bravo killed Aguilar in part because the victim was dating Bravo's ex-girlfriend. All three had attended school together in South Florida.

A jury convicted Bravo on charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, poisoning, tampering with evidence, giving false information to the authorities and mishandling a body. The verdict came after three hours and fifteen minutes of deliberations.

Bravo, who testified in his own defense, said he and Aguilar got into a heated fight but that when he left him bleeding and injured on the street, his friend was still alive.

But prosecutors said Bravo went to two hardware stores to purchase a "murderer's starter pack," that included a shovel, saying Bravo was reeling after learning that Aguilar was dating his ex.

Bravo used a mutual friend to convince Aguilar, who had been ducking Bravo's calls, to meet with him and discuss Bravo's suicidal thoughts over the breakup. They went to a fast-food restaurant and an electronics store to buy a CD before parking in Wal-Mart parking lot, where prosecutors say Bravo slipped into the backseat of his SUV and strangled Aguilar.

Prosecutors posted pictures in the courtroom of the duct tape eventually found wrapped around Aguilar's body, which was buried in a wooded area miles from Gainesville.

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