Former Florida student schemed to overturn his conviction in friend's 2012 murder
The murder of University of Florida freshman Christian Aguilar shocked the campus and his hometown of Miami in 2012. More than a decade later, the case took stunning new turns, authorities alleging an elaborate scheme orchestrated from behind prison walls by the man convicted of killing him.
Pedro Bravo was serving a life sentence in a Florida prison after he was convicted of first-degree murder and six other counts in Aguilar's death in 2014. Aguilar had been dating Bravo's former girlfriend Erika Friman, who was also a high school friend of the two men.
"I was the art kid, and I was cracking jokes... and now I'm in a place where there's hardened criminals, people that have done serious things, and to add to all that, they're also calling me my best friend's killer," Pedro Bravo told "20/20" in his only interview before his death in March 2025.
A new "20/20" episode, "They Know Everything," airing Friday, June 20, at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu, examines the case.
You can also get more behind-the-scenes of each week's episode by listening to "20/20: The After Show" weekly series right on your "20/20" podcast feed on Mondays, hosted by "20/20" co-anchor Deborah Roberts.
In May 2025, two people pleaded guilty for their roles in what prosecutors called a plot by Bravo to overturn his conviction. Kelcie Edwards pleaded guilty to fraud for providing false testimony, while Michael Angelo pleaded guilty to perjury for falsely recanting his original trial testimony.
According to investigators, the supposed plot unraveled after they discovered that Edwards was connected to Bravo through a fellow inmate, Brandon Campbell, with whom Edwards had two children. Digging into Edwards' phone and financial records, investigators uncovered a cache of secret messages and Cash App transactions between Bravo and Edwards.
"They know everything," Campbell said to Edwards in one of a series of recorded calls which helped investigators uncover Bravo’s alleged scheme. Campbell was not charged in the case and authorities said he was fully cooperative in the investigation.
Investigators said Edwards claimed to be an eyewitness who saw Aguilar walk away alive after a fight with Bravo in 2012. Once the connection between Edwards and Campbell was discovered, the rest of Bravo's plan came to light, according to authorities.
"I'm shocked by the complexity of it and the depth of it," State Attorney Brian Kramer told "20/20." "The amount of subterfuge, lies and creation of false evidence, is beyond what we would ever see."
Around the same time Edwards came forward, Angelo, who had testified at Bravo's original trial about an alleged jailhouse confession, recanted his testimony. He previously testified that Bravo revealed details about the murder that only the killer would know.
The elaborate plot by Bravo was his final attempt at freedom in a decade-long saga that began as a missing persons case in September 2012. It was then that Aguilar vanished after a routine day on the University of Florida campus.
Aguilar’s disappearance was first reported by his girlfriend Erika Friman, and Bravo, his high school best friend.
The connection between the three former classmates from Miami's Doral Academy Charter School would later prove crucial to understanding the crime. While Bravo claimed to be "OK" with Friman dating his best friend, his private journals told a different story.
"Every time that we would ask him questions, it seemed the version would change a little bit," former Gainesville Police Detective Randy Roberts told "20/20" in reference to Bravo's evolving explanations of what happened the day Aguilar disappeared.
For three weeks, hundreds of volunteers searched the dense woods and swamps around Gainesville for any sign of Aguilar.
His father, Carlos Aguilar, told "20/20" he made a promise: "We're not leaving. We don't care if we lose the house. We don't care if we lose everything. Christian is missing, we are going to find Christian."
Meanwhile, evidence began contradicting Bravo's story. Police found surveillance footage of him cleaning his vehicle at 1 a.m. at a local car wash, focusing particularly on the undercarriage. A receipt showed he had purchased a shovel and Gatorade from Lowes.
The investigation took a turn when forensic analysis of Bravo's computer revealed disturbing searches including "Where can I bury a body?" and "How many sleeping pills will it take to kill someone?"
In October 2012, hunters discovered Aguilar's body in a shallow grave in Levy County. Bravo was charged with first-degree murder and later convicted.
It wasn't until over a decade later, in correspondence with Edwards about his scheme to overturn his conviction, that Bravo finally admitted to killing Aguilar, although his version of events differed from what prosecutors alleged.
"He said that they fought and he left him there, like he'd said in trial, but this time he admitted that Christian passed away in his car. He panicked, and ultimately went out and buried him," prosecutor Tom Mullins told "20/20." "To my knowledge, other than the confession he made to Mr. Angelo, this was the first time he'd ever come close to actually confessing to that murder."
On March 12, 2025, Bravo died by suicide at the Okeechobee Correctional Institution. His death came shortly before Edwards and Angelo pleaded guilty to their roles in Bravo's failed scheme.
Angelo was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Edwards will serve five years' probation.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
