The Eyrie

GAINESVILLE, FL — A Florida jury found former college student Pedro Bravo guilty of killing his friend Christian Aguilar in a case prosecutors said was driven by jealousy over an ex-girlfriend. Jurors returned guilty verdicts on first-degree murder and six other counts after deliberating for just under four hours.

The verdict brought a close to a trial that centered on what prosecutors described as a fatal confrontation after Bravo learned Aguilar was dating Erika Friman, Bravo’s ex-girlfriend. Some jurors cried when the decision was read in court, while Bravo showed no visible reaction. He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors said the killing grew out of jealousy and anger

According to prosecutors, Bravo took Aguilar for a drive one night in September 2012 so the two could talk about Aguilar’s relationship with Friman. The men had been friends, but prosecutors said Bravo was devastated by the relationship and turned that emotion into violence.

They told jurors that Bravo poisoned and beat Aguilar before hiding his body. The state argued that the killing was planned, not spontaneous, and pointed to actions Bravo allegedly took before and after Aguilar disappeared. Defense lawyers denied that account and maintained that the encounter ended in only a physical fight.

The case became known in headlines as a “love triangle” murder, but the trial focused on the details of the investigation and what happened after Aguilar got into Bravo’s vehicle.

Surveillance footage showed purchases prosecutors said were linked to the crime

Prosecutors relied heavily on surveillance video that showed Bravo buying a shovel, duct tape, bandages and over-the-counter sleep aids the night before Aguilar went missing. They argued those items fit the state’s theory that Bravo was preparing to conceal or help carry out the killing.

During the trial, prosecutors also presented a photograph of a belt they said was used to strangle Aguilar. They tied that evidence to their claim that Bravo not only killed Aguilar, but also took steps to hide the body afterward.

The state said the purchases, the belt and other evidence painted a consistent picture of premeditation. The defense challenged the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence and disputed the conclusion that the items proved murder.

Interrogation tapes captured Bravo describing a fight and a drive away

Police interrogation tapes played in court showed Bravo admitting that he met Aguilar on the night Aguilar died. In the recording, Bravo described a physical confrontation and said he remembered seeing Aguilar in his rearview mirror as he drove away.

“He got out of the car and I fought him and after that, I remember going in the car and I remember seeing him in my rearview mirror while I was driving away,” Bravo said, according to the interrogation played at trial.

Prosecutors agreed that Bravo drove away from the scene, but said he did so with Aguilar’s body in the back of his SUV. They alleged that he later left the body in a remote field. Bravo, meanwhile, maintained that the encounter was a fight and not a murder.

Aguilar’s body was found 22 days later in a forest

Aguilar’s remains were discovered 22 days after he vanished, found in a forest. That discovery became a major part of the prosecution’s timeline, helping connect the missing-person case to the murder charge.

Investigators also focused on a sketch pad prosecutors said Bravo had filled with hateful messages. One alleged passage read, “No one will stop me,” followed by language prosecutors said showed his intent to leave Miami, get to Gainesville by January 2013 and win Friman back.

The state used those writings to argue that Bravo had expressed rage and fixation before Aguilar’s disappearance. Prosecutors presented the notebook as another piece of evidence suggesting motive and state of mind, though the defense disputed the state’s overall conclusions.

The trial ended with life without parole for Pedro Bravo

Bravo, who was 20 at the time of the trial proceedings, faced the jury’s verdict after years of scrutiny over one of the region’s closely watched murder cases. The first-degree murder conviction, along with the six additional counts, led to a sentence of life in prison without parole.

As the verdict was announced, the courtroom’s reaction underscored the emotional weight of the case. Some jurors cried, while Bravo remained expressionless. The outcome closed a case built around jealousy, a missing friend, and forensic and surveillance evidence prosecutors said proved a deliberate killing.

An editor’s note on the original coverage clarified testimony from Erika Friman about arranging meetings between Bravo and Aguilar in the past, but not on the night Aguilar was last seen alive.