Felonious Florida ex-pupil devised a strategic plan to reverse his 2012 murder conviction of his fellow student.
New Revelations in the gruesome murder of a University of Florida student
In 2012, the murder of freshman Christian Aguilar sent shockwaves through the university and his hometown of Miami. Fast forward to over a decade later, the case took unexpected twists, with the man convicted of the heinous crime, Pedro Bravo, instigating an elaborate plot from behind prison walls.
Pedro Bravo was serving a life sentence in a Florida prison, having been convicted of first-degree murder and six other charges linked to 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.
In May 2025, two people, Kelcie Edwards and Michael Angelo, pleaded guilty for their roles in what prosecutors called a conspiracy masterminded by Bravo to overturn his conviction.
Investigators discovered a that Edwards was connected to Bravo through fellow inmate, Brandon Campbell, with whom Edwards had two children. Investigators found a caché of secret messages and Cash App transactions between Bravo and Edwards, which ultimately unraveled Bravo's supposed plot.
"They know everything," Campbell said to Edwards in one of many recorded calls. Campbell was not charged in the case and authorities said he was fully cooperative in the investigation.
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.
"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. The elaborate plot by Bravo was his final attempt at freedom, marking a decade-long saga that began as a missing persons case in September 2012.
The new developments in Bravo's case brought renewed attention to the case and the justice system's persistent efforts to unravel such intricate plots. A new episode of "20/20", entitled "They Know Everything," is set to air on ABC at 9 p.m. ET on June 20, examining the case in detail. Listen 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, for more behind-the-scenes on each episode.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Sources: [1] https://www.abcnews.com/2020/headlines/new-2020-episode-examines-an-elaborate-scheme-orchestrated-from-behind-prison-walls-by-the-man-convicted-of-killing-a-college-student, [2] https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/crime/2023/02/22/pedro-bravo-killer-christian-aguilar-admits-killing-him-behind-bars-letter/69373303007/, [3] https://www.wesh.com/news/former-absurd-birds-restaurant-manager-pleads-guilty-in-elaborate-scheme-to-overturn-murder-conviction, [4] https://www.abcnews.go.com/2020/video/man-conviicted-2012-murder-college-student-supposedly-plotted-overturn-conviction-prison-25280545, [5] https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/os-man-connicted-of-killing-college-student-pedro-bravo-dies-by-suicide-in-florida-prison-20250316-gbvl37m3tjhi752erdvkf5y5hr-story.html
- The elaborate plot orchestrated by Pedro Bravo, convicted of first-degree murder and six other charges linked to the 2012 murder of University of Florida student Christian Aguilar, was unraveled through secret messages and Cash App transactions discovered by investigators.
- In a 2025 interview with "20/20" before his death by suicide, Bravo claimed that he was in a place surrounded by hardened criminals, people who had done serious things, and were also calling him his best friend's killer.
- The new revelations in Bravo's case brought renewed attention to the crime-and-justice system and its persistent efforts to unravel such intricate plots, as shown in the upcoming "20/20" episode entitled "They Know Everything," set to air on ABC at 9 p.m. ET on June 20.
