GUILTY FL - Christian Aguilar, 18, UF student, Gainesville, 20 Sept 2012 #2

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I'm waiting for the verdict video to be put up, I still want to see it read.
 
Jewels53 said:
Yes and I was wondering how he is feeling now about that decision.

Sentencing now, wow I wasn't expecting that tonight!
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Honestly I think the verdict would have been the same either way...possibly his testimony provided an even faster verdict but the defense had nothing. if he did not testify they had no one.
 
anyone else see him still looking over at Ericka on his way out after sentencing. He is so obsessed with her and she is so lucky to still be alive...it was Christian or her or maybe both. Poor young woman ...it will take alot for her to move on after this experience.
 
turaj said:
anyone else see him still looking over at Ericka on his way out after sentencing. He is so obsessed with her and she is so lucky to still be alive...it was Christian or her or maybe both. Poor young woman ...it will take alot for her to move on after this experience.
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I noticed him looking over toward Erika, too, as they were leading him out. I feel as bad for Erika as I do for the Aguilars. She lost 2 men she cared deeply about, and at such a young age. You could see the hurt in her face.

PB took advantage of the kindness of 2 people in order to hurt them. Even though Erika didn't want to date PB any more, she cared enough about him to want to help him. Christian agreed to meet with PB because he also wanted to help him. PB counted on the kindness of both of them in order to carry out his evil scheme. If Christian and Erika hadn't been such loving, thoughtful people, PB would not have had the opportunity to kill Christian. I think Turaj is right ... Erika is lucky to still be alive. If PB had been unable to lure Christian to his death, he probably would have killed Erika to prevent anyone else from having her.

I wouldn't doubt that PB has gone through his entire life threatening to harm himself if he didn't get his way. He never had any intention of harming himself, but knew threats would get the desired results.

Carlos said he can't forgive PB because he has no remorse; PB continues to deny everything. I have known pathological liars -- they seem truly convinced of their own lies, no matter how overtly their claims defy reasoning -- and PB fits the pattern to a tee. I wonder if he had many friends other than Christian and Erika. I remember classmates from Doral Academy speaking highly of Christian and saying that both he and PB did well in school, but I don't remember anything else said about PB. I just wonder if PB was as egotistical in high school as he is now and his attitude repelled most people. Christian and Erika seem like the sort who would befriend someone scorned by everyone else, out of the goodness of their hearts.

I hope the Aguilars and Erika can begin to heal now. :rose:
 
Indy Anna said:
I noticed him looking over toward Erika, too, as they were leading him out. I feel as bad for Erika as I do for the Aguilars. She lost 2 men she cared deeply about, and at such a young age. You could see the hurt in her face.

PB took advantage of the kindness of 2 people in order to hurt them. Even though Erika didn't want to date PB any more, she cared enough about him to want to help him. Christian agreed to meet with PB because he also wanted to help him. PB counted on the kindness of both of them in order to carry out his evil scheme. If Christian and Erika hadn't been such loving, thoughtful people, PB would not have had the opportunity to kill Christian. I think Turaj is right ... Erika is lucky to still be alive. If PB had been unable to lure Christian to his death, he probably would have killed Erika to prevent anyone else from having her.

I wouldn't doubt that PB has gone through his entire life threatening to harm himself if he didn't get his way. He never had any intention of harming himself, but knew threats would get the desired results.

Carlos said he can't forgive PB because he has no remorse; PB continues to deny everything. I have known pathological liars -- they seem truly convinced of their own lies, no matter how overtly their claims defy reasoning -- and PB fits the pattern to a tee. I wonder if he had many friends other than Christian and Erika. I remember classmates from Doral Academy speaking highly of Christian and saying that both he and PB did well in school, but I don't remember anything else said about PB. I just wonder if PB was as egotistical in high school as he is now and his attitude repelled most people. Christian and Erika seem like the sort who would befriend someone scorned by everyone else, out of the goodness of their hearts.

I hope the Aguilars and Erika can begin to heal now. :rose:
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:goodpost: Thank you for the excellant points!
 
I thought I would post a picture of Christian and found this one with him and Erika they looked so happy together. I hope Erika cam find this happiness again one day!

View attachment 57000


This one also with Christian and his parents he looks very happy.

View attachment 57001



RIP Christian
:rose: :rose: :rose: :rose:
 
geevee said:
They all look so happy, and Dad looks so proud.

Court Chatter has the verdict and sentencing up for anyone (like me) who missed one or the other last night:

http://courtchatter.tv/pedrobravoverdict.htm
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Thanks...watched it...Bravo's father just keeps looking at his son with total disgust and at the same time so many regrets. I think they knew what the verdict would be and I assume he hired the attorneys that defended their son but was warned that there is not really a case but had to try. Then for the sentencing he could not even come into the courtroom. I was struck by the lack of support they had...I saw one woman with mother during the sentencing and other people anywhere near them on that side seemed to be unrelated to their side. PB has been a troubled kid for a long time and I'm sure his parents did the best they could but since PB functioned well at school etc. he just slid by. So sad for everyone. He is in for a rough ride in prison and not so sure he will make it.
 
geevee said:
They all look so happy, and Dad looks so proud.

Court Chatter has the verdict and sentencing up for anyone (like me) who missed one or the other last night:

http://courtchatter.tv/pedrobravoverdict.htm
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Thanks...watched it...Bravo's father just keeps looking at his son with total disgust and at the same time so many regrets. I think they knew what the verdict would be and I assume he hired the attorneys that defended their son but was warned that there is not really a case but had to try. Then for the sentencing he could not even come into the courtroom. I was struck by the lack of support they had...I saw one woman with mother during the sentencing and other people anywhere near them on that side seemed to be unrelated to their side. PB has been a troubled kid for a long time and I'm sure his parents did the best they could but since PB functioned well at school etc. he just slid by. So sad for everyone. He is in for a rough ride in prison and not so sure he will make it.
 
turaj said:
Thanks...watched it...Bravo's father just keeps looking at his son with total disgust and at the same time so many regrets. I think they knew what the verdict would be and I assume he hired the attorneys that defended their son but was warned that there is not really a case but had to try. Then for the sentencing he could not even come into the courtroom. I was struck by the lack of support they had...I saw one woman with mother during the sentencing and other people anywhere near them on that side seemed to be unrelated to their side. PB has been a troubled kid for a long time and I'm sure his parents did the best they could but since PB functioned well at school etc. he just slid by. So sad for everyone. He is in for a rough ride in prison and not so sure he will make it.
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Agree, his options are very slim, general population where he'll be abused the rest of his life, or protective custody where madness from solitary will surely grip him. Either way, he's probably in for a life worse than death.
 
turaj said:
Thanks...watched it...Bravo's father just keeps looking at his son with total disgust and at the same time so many regrets. I think they knew what the verdict would be and I assume he hired the attorneys that defended their son but was warned that there is not really a case but had to try. Then for the sentencing he could not even come into the courtroom. I was struck by the lack of support they had...I saw one woman with mother during the sentencing and other people anywhere near them on that side seemed to be unrelated to their side. PB has been a troubled kid for a long time and I'm sure his parents did the best they could but since PB functioned well at school etc. he just slid by. So sad for everyone. He is in for a rough ride in prison and not so sure he will make it.
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I hadn't thought about it until going over some videos of the testimonies and sentencing this morning, but do the Bravo's have any other children? I've never seen any pictures with family members identified other than PB's father and mother. If Pedro is an only child, that is doubly tragic for the Bravo's. I'm sure they were wondering to themselves, "Where have we gone wrong?" It's a sad situation for everyone. PB hurt a lot of people, including himself, by taking Christian Aguilar's life. He will never marry, never have a family of his own, never have a career and never own a home (but will spend the rest of his life in a cage). For that, a part of me wants to feel sorry for him but, on the other hand, he was fully capable of thinking through the consequences beforehand. I don't remember reading about PB having a troubled childhood. Were there early signs? If so, again I have to wonder if Christian and Erika were two of the few people who befriended PB because they were both such kindhearted young people.

Sorry for the rambling. This is just one case that touched me deeply. I felt like I got to know Christian personally, and his family, too, especially Carlos. And my heart broke for poor Erika, who recognized problems with PB's personality and tried to get far away from him.
 
Indy Anna said:
I hadn't thought about it until going over some videos of the testimonies and sentencing this morning, but do the Bravo's have any other children? I've never seen any pictures with family members identified other than PB's father and mother. If Pedro is an only child, that is doubly tragic for the Bravo's. I'm sure they were wondering to themselves, "Where have we gone wrong?" It's a sad situation for everyone. PB hurt a lot of people, including himself, by taking Christian Aguilar's life. He will never marry, never have a family of his own, never have a career and never own a home (but will spend the rest of his life in a cage). For that, a part of me wants to feel sorry for him but, on the other hand, he was fully capable of thinking through the consequences beforehand. I don't remember reading about PB having a troubled childhood. Were there early signs? If so, again I have to wonder if Christian and Erika were two of the few people who befriended PB because they were both such kindhearted young people.

Sorry for the rambling. This is just one case that touched me deeply. I felt like I got to know Christian personally, and his family, too, especially Carlos. And my heart broke for poor Erika, who recognized problems with PB's personality and tried to get far away from him.
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Pedro was an only child and I was so struck by the lack of anyone sitting around his parents...they seemed so alone and the look of his father was that..."what happened...what went wrong"...any potential sympathy for PB from me went with his testimony and that post verdict statement. He feels justified in taking Christian's life...you can just tell. I too really would love to know his history and agree that he went to a smaller school and had a group of friends in which he felt comfortable and since 10th grade had Erika to lean on and make him feel "normal". Her breaking up with him was the trigger that set in motion everything inside of him and brought out a dark side that is hard to believe if you just look at him. As this played out I am not sure why the defense did not try more to humanize him or delve into his psyche to offer some explanation...they had to know that he was going to be found guilty and only possible way out may have been to have just one juror feel sorry for him and maybe something in his past etc. I am not certain but as I look through past hearings etc. I think they were in fact public defenders and I'm not sure how invested they were in this case...it seemed like it was how fast can we get this over. Very strange case but it did catch my attention for sure. The contrast in the two families and their support systems is something you could not miss in that courtroom. I'm not sure how the Bravo's return to their lives in Miami after this?
 
listening again to the cross of PB...I think it was attorney Kramer...I just love his tone...I mean this kid is just being ripped apart and he does not even know it. So smooth is the prosecutor....I mean statements like..."you are going to kill yourself but you need a full tank of gas"...."car wash at 245am"...it goes on and on.
 
As I watch this "kid" on the stand I have to wonder how many hours he will last in general population...he just could not handle it.
 
turaj said:
As I watch this "kid" on the stand I have to wonder how many hours he will last in general population...he just could not handle it.
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Makes you wonder doesn't it. If PB thought about suicide before I am sure he will still think about it in prison.

I truly hope PB can finally come to terms with what he did and accept that he did in fact murder Christian. Maybe then he can ask for forgiveness.

A person can hope can't they?
 
turaj said:
Pedro was an only child and I was so struck by the lack of anyone sitting around his parents...they seemed so alone and the look of his father was that..."what happened...what went wrong"...any potential sympathy for PB from me went with his testimony and that post verdict statement. He feels justified in taking Christian's life...you can just tell. I too really would love to know his history and agree that he went to a smaller school and had a group of friends in which he felt comfortable and since 10th grade had Erika to lean on and make him feel "normal". Her breaking up with him was the trigger that set in motion everything inside of him and brought out a dark side that is hard to believe if you just look at him. As this played out I am not sure why the defense did not try more to humanize him or delve into his psyche to offer some explanation...they had to know that he was going to be found guilty and only possible way out may have been to have just one juror feel sorry for him and maybe something in his past etc. I am not certain but as I look through past hearings etc. I think they were in fact public defenders and I'm not sure how invested they were in this case...it seemed like it was how fast can we get this over. Very strange case but it did catch my attention for sure. The contrast in the two families and their support systems is something you could not miss in that courtroom. I'm not sure how the Bravo's return to their lives in Miami after this?
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BBM I remember Erika saying at one point that she didn't see a future with PB because he was becoming too possessive, so I think there was the potential for him becoming a domestic abuser. When he followed Erika to Gainesville after she broke up with him, he was guilty of stalking. Erika could have filed a restraining order against PB. But, she didn't consider PB a physical threat and cared about what he was going through. He gained her sympathy by threatening suicide. There are people who play the "poor me" card when things aren't going their way, expecting to change someone's mind by gaining their sympathy. PB did this in his statement prior to sentencing. He essentially told the judge, "I know you're going to sentence me to life in prison even though I didn't do anything wrong." Sociopaths do not have a conscience, but they play on other people's sympathy and try to displace blame and guilt onto others.

PB reminds me of Ted Bundy and, if he had gotten away with Christian's murder, I absolutely believe he would have become a serial killer but agree that one would not think it to look at him. I think he grew to hate Christian not only because of Erika, but also because Christian had gotten into U of F and had a bright future. While PB was also smart and could have had a bright future, he coveted everything Christian had and was. And PB had no problem taking advantage of someone else's kindness to do them harm. Perhaps he has a Napoleon complex, but he was subtle in how he exercised power over others. Most of it was mental. PB wanted people to think he beat up Christian. Obviously, Christian would have been at an advantage if the two had gotten into a fight. He may have hit Christian after he drugged him. But, the fact is, PB killed Christian by drugging him and then sneaking behind him to strangle him with a strap. PB will never admit to doing something so base and cowardly.
 
turaj said:
As I watch this "kid" on the stand I have to wonder how many hours he will last in general population...he just could not handle it.
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Jewels53 said:
Makes you wonder doesn't it. If PB thought about suicide before I am sure he will still think about it in prison.

I truly hope PB can finally come to terms with what he did and accept that he did in fact murder Christian. Maybe then he can ask for forgiveness.

A person can hope can't they?
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I've thought about this, too. It's the reason I sort of feel sorry for PB... because I know prison life is going to be rough for him. I guess I feel a little bit sorry for him, too, because he's so young and may have been naive in thinking he could avoid prison. On the other hand, I do think he was old enough to think things through. He had planned to kill Christian several days in advance. If he were simply angry, I would think he would have enough time to cool down. I had posted on another thread (I don't remember which one) about a composer who made plans to kill his ex-fiancee, her new beau and her mother. He had a few days worth of travel to reach them, and took along a disguise and guns he had stolen from his employer. Along the way, he began to realize how foolish his plan was, so he ditched the disguise and returned the guns to his employer with an apology. He went on to marry and have a good life. In PB's case, I think he wanted to 'prove' that he could outsmart Christian and even LE. He never imagined he would be caught and punished, and now he must face the stark reality.

I'm with you, Jewels. I do hope that PB can eventually admit his crime and express regret for it. Maybe prison life will humble him? I hope so not only for his sake but, most of all, for the sake of the Aguilars. I think that is one big step that's needed in their healing process.
 
Indy Anna said:
I've thought about this, too. It's the reason I sort of feel sorry for PB... because I know prison life is going to be rough for him. I guess I feel a little bit sorry for him, too, because he's so young and may have been naive in thinking he could avoid prison. On the other hand, I do think he was old enough to think things through. He had planned to kill Christian several days in advance. If he were simply angry, I would think he would have enough time to cool down. I had posted on another thread (I don't remember which one) about a composer who made plans to kill his ex-fiancee, her new beau and her mother. He had a few days worth of travel to reach them, and took along a disguise and guns he had stolen from his employer. Along the way, he began to realize how foolish his plan was, so he ditched the disguise and returned the guns to his employer with an apology. He went on to marry and have a good life. In PB's case, I think he wanted to 'prove' that he could outsmart Christian and even LE. He never imagined he would be caught and punished, and now he must face the stark reality.

I'm with you, Jewels. I do hope that PB can eventually admit his crime and express regret for it. Maybe prison life will humble him? I hope so not only for his sake but, most of all, for the sake of the Aguilars. I think that is one big step that's needed in their healing process.
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While we know very little of Bravo's past what I observed from afar in the courtroom was a very interesting and pathetic dynamic between Pedro and his parents. He often looked to them with a smile which I assume they returned and after he was done on the stand he felt so proud of himself and again as he sat down looked to them for approval and mouthed something like thank you. If you recall special provisions had been made for them to meet with him without anyone there...it was unusual but wisely granted by the judge. Boy love to know what they talked about. It was at a point where it was clear he would be convicted and I wonder if they were hoping he might just confess? It was before he went on the stand. It seems clear they controlled his every move up to this event...you could tell by him comments on how they monitered his bank account/looked at his apartment for strange items etc. He is/was afraid of them and I think never lived up to what he knew they wanted. He is a sad story and as always I want to know "the rest of the story" here but it will no doubt never be told. Unfortunately unless media gets involved in a trial people that know things just don't come forward and I doubt his parents will be talking. They are hoping this will be overturned. I have to assume there was no indication of past or current mental problems documented by professionals or we may have heard that by the defense. That in my mind would be the only way he could have gotten convicted of something lessor or even aquitted but a remote chance at that.
 
Just got here and this is good news. The jury saw through this scheming murderer. I mentioned a while back that Pedro reminded me of Ted Bundy. The same smooth, beyond reproach exterior. If he had gotten away with this killing I think he would have gone on to kill others who dared to not go along with his plans. I think he may have come to enjoy it. In fact I believe PB has an element of enjoyment, or revenge against Christian and a big part of it he still is stuck on Erica. Pedro is in for a nasty awakening. In prison who can't drug your opponent and sneak up behind him to overpower him. I bet he cries 'mommy' alot.
 
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