7 Shocking Revelations From The Christian Aguilar Murder Case: Why "20/20 They Know Everything" Is The Must-Watch True Crime Episode

As of December 12, 2025, the phrase "20/20 They Know Everything" has become a chilling and highly topical reference point in the true-crime world, directly tied to a recent, in-depth episode of the long-running ABC News program, *20/20*. This episode revisits the horrific 2012 murder of University of Florida (UF) student Christian Aguilar, a case that captivated the nation due to its sheer brutality and the shocking betrayal at its core. The evocative title, "They Know Everything," refers not to a conspiracy, but to the meticulous, modern investigative work—including a never-before-heard 'secret recording'—that ultimately unraveled the killer’s elaborate web of lies and secured a conviction. This article dives deep into the complex narrative of fatal obsession, digital forensics, and the ultimate justice served in the case of Christian Aguilar, as detailed in the latest reports and the comprehensive *20/20* special. The facts reveal how every step of the killer's plot was meticulously tracked, proving that in the digital age, truly "they know everything."

The Fatal Obsession: A Biography of the Tragedy's Key Figures

The Christian Aguilar murder case is a profound tragedy fueled by jealousy and obsession, involving a tight-knit group of friends from Miami who all ended up at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The central figures whose lives intersected with devastating results are:

• Christian Aguilar (Victim): An 18-year-old freshman at the University of Florida. He was described as a kind, popular, and bright student. His disappearance in September 2012 sparked a massive search effort across North Central Florida.
• Pedro Bravo (Killer): Also an 18-year-old UF student and a former close friend of Christian Aguilar. Bravo was obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, Erika Friman, who had started dating Aguilar. This jealousy was the motive for the murder.
• Erika Friman (The Love Interest): Bravo’s ex-girlfriend and Aguilar’s new girlfriend. Her relationship with Aguilar was the catalyst for Bravo's deadly plot. She was a key witness in the subsequent investigation and trial.
• Carlos (Key Witness): A friend who was involved in the events leading up to the murder and whose testimony and interactions with Bravo were crucial to the case.
• Circuit Court Judge James Colaw: The presiding judge over the highly publicized murder trial in Alachua County.

The Disappearance and the Web of Lies

The tragic events began on September 20, 2012, when Christian Aguilar went missing. He was last seen with Pedro Bravo, a fact Bravo immediately used to launch his elaborate cover-up. Bravo’s scheme was complex and cold-blooded. He claimed that he and Aguilar had gotten into a fight, and he had dropped Aguilar off at a local shopping center. This was the first of many calculated lies designed to mislead investigators in Alachua County. The investigation quickly zeroed in on Bravo, not because of a confession, but because of the inconsistencies in his story and the digital trail he left behind. Bravo had poisoned Aguilar, likely with a cocktail of drugs, before beating and strangling him to death. He then drove to a remote area of the county to bury the body, a location that would remain a mystery for weeks. His actions after the disappearance were equally damning. He was seen purchasing a shovel and duct tape from a local Walmart. He also made a bizarre attempt to create an alibi by claiming he had been suicidal and had tried to overdose, an act prosecutors later argued was a cynical ploy to garner sympathy and deflect suspicion.

The Breakthrough: How "They Knew Everything"

The title "20/20 They Know Everything" is a direct nod to the overwhelming, irrefutable digital and audio evidence that the prosecution used to dismantle Pedro Bravo's defense. This case is a landmark example of how modern forensics—digital and audio—can solve a crime even when the killer is actively trying to hide the body and manipulate the narrative.

1. The Cell Phone Forensics

Investigators meticulously analyzed the cell phone data from both Aguilar and Bravo. This was arguably the most critical piece of evidence before the body was found. The data showed:

• Bravo's Route: Bravo's phone pinged tower locations that contradicted his claim of dropping Aguilar off at the shopping center. Instead, the data mapped his movement to a remote, wooded area—the exact location where Aguilar's body was eventually discovered months later.
• The Timeframe: The phone records helped establish a precise timeline of the murder and the disposal of the body, completely contradicting Bravo's alibi.

2. The "Secret Recording" Confession

One of the most shocking revelations highlighted in the *20/20* episode was a taped confession that had not been widely publicized until the recent broadcast. This recording, which may have been a conversation with a friend or a controlled interrogation, captured Bravo acknowledging for the first time that he had murdered Aguilar. This audio evidence was a devastating blow to the defense, as it provided an explicit admission of guilt, reinforcing the narrative that the authorities had already pieced together from the digital trail.

3. Physical and Circumstantial Evidence

Despite the body being missing for 22 days, the initial police work was relentless. The discovery of a shallow grave, the purchased supplies (shovel and duct tape), and the testimony of Erika Friman and other friends painted a clear picture of Bravo’s premeditation. The body of Christian Aguilar was found in a remote part of Levy County, Florida, following a tip-off, confirming the cell phone data's accuracy.

The Conviction and The Case's Final Chapter

In August 2014, Pedro Bravo was convicted of first-degree murder, false imprisonment, poisoning, tampering with physical evidence, and giving false information to law enforcement. He was sentenced to life in prison. The verdict was a testament to the prosecution's ability to use a mosaic of modern evidence—from digital pings to audio recordings—to prove a premeditated murder plot beyond a reasonable doubt. The case, however, found an unexpected final chapter in the years following the trial. Pedro Bravo, while serving his life sentence at Okeechobee Correctional Institution, continued to try and appeal his conviction. In a recent and tragic development that provides a final, dark update to the case, Bravo died by suicide in state custody after a failed attempt to overturn his sentence. The *20/20* episode, airing in June 2025, serves as a powerful reminder of Christian Aguilar's life, the pain inflicted on his family, and the evolution of investigative techniques. It underscores the chilling truth that in a world saturated with digital footprints and hidden recordings, a killer's desperate attempt to cover their tracks is often the very thing that proves "They Know Everything."