Viswa Vanapalli
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Signs Of A Psychopath: Diary of a Psychopath’ as well as Hulu’s ‘Death in the Dorms: Christian Aguilar’ chronicles how Christian Aguilar‘s killer was caught and brought to justice. The 18-year-old was a victim of a savage murder at the hands of Pedro Bravo, a friend of his from high school. In a tragic case, jealousy and obsession led to Carlos and Claudia Bravo losing their son. And as the trial progressed, this couple were a constant fixture in the courtroom.
Who Are Christian Aguilar’s Parents?
Carlos and Claudia Aguilar are originally from Cali, Colombia, but the couple eventually settled down in Florida. They married in October 1992 and together had two sons — Christian and Alex. However, everything turned upside down in September 2012 when they received an unsettling call from the former’s girlfriend, Erika. She had not heard from him for a while, and he was nowhere to be seen. This University of Florida student was thus reported missing, and the police soon had a suspect in Pedro Bravo.
Pedro was a friend of Christian’s from high school who used to date Erika at one point in time. In fact, Christian went to meet him on the day he vanished upon being asked as the former claimed he wanted to discuss his mental health. Just over a week after the disappearance, Pedro was charged with Christian’s murder while search efforts for the latter’s body were still underway. The family by then felt that Christian was murdered but hoped to find his remains so that Pedro could pay for his crimes.
Carlos urged more people to help with the search. He said, “Because if we don’t find Christian’s body, unfortunately, [Pedro] can walk and I will not let that happen.″ Three weeks later, his body was found buried in a shallow grave about an hour from where he used to live on campus in Gainsville, Florida. He had possibly been strangled to death following a physical altercation. That’s when Carlos and Claudia thanked the volunteers who helped with the search. They now had to prepare to attend Pedro’s trial.
Investigators believed that Pedro’s motive was that he found out about Christian’s relationship with Erika, something he was not okay with. At his trial in 2014, Pedro maintained that he was innocent and that the two of them only had an altercation. He claimed to have never killed Christian. However, the evidence presented against him painted a different picture. In August, he was found guilty of murder. After he received a life sentence, Claudia said, “Today in my heart, thanks to God, there is no room in my heart for hate and revenge.”
Where Are Christian Aguilar’s Parents Now?
In the aftermath of Christian’s death, Carlos and Claudia were presented with an In Memoriam honorary degree from the College of Engineering at the University of Florida. The family also planned to clear out the place where Christian was found so that people could go visit if they felt like it. Carlos said, “For all of our family, this is a special place. This is the last place where Christian rest[ed], that he was complete in flesh.”
Now, from what we can tell, Carlos and Claudia continue to reside in Miami, Florida, where they’re spending as much time as possible with their remaining family while keeping their lost son alive in their hearts. They’ve actually since even established a search and rescue foundation in his memory to help those who’ve found themselves in similar situations. The Christian Aguilar Search & Rescue Foundation is run by the entire family, and they’ve clarified they use trained dogs to help them along the way, with former property manager/realtor Carlos himself having two such canines.
Read More: How Did Christian Aguilar Die?
