‘20/20’ Reports on the Murder of a College Student, the Arrest and Conviction of His Friend, and Years Later, a New Defense Witness That Could Turn the Case Upside Down

In September 2012, the disappearance of 18-year-old college student Christian Aguilar shocked the University of Florida community where he went to school. The search for Christian, led by his family and new girlfriend, Erika Friman, ended tragically 22 days later with the discovery of Christian’s body in a remote swamp. In a new “20/20,” ABC News correspondent Victor Oquendo reports on the investigation that unraveled a complex web of lies and obsession, culminating in the arrest of Pedro Bravo, Christian’s close friend and Erika’s former boyfriend. The trial featured surveillance videos, secret diaries and damning testimony from Bravo’s jail cellmate. Now, a decade later, that jailhouse informant recanted his testimony, and a new witness for the defense has come forward with a claim that may verify Bravo’s version of events. Will these new developments lead to the court overturning Pedro Bravo’s conviction?

The two-hour program includes an exclusive prison interview with Pedro Bravo and exclusives with Michael Angelo, the jailhouse informant who recanted his testimony, as well as Pedro’s parents, Azucena Duque and Pedro Bravo. The program also includes interviews with Christian’s parents, Carlos and Claudia Aguilar; Christian’s brother, Alex Aguilar; Brian Kramer, state attorney for Florida’s Eighth Judicial Circuit; Randy Roberts, a retired detective in the Gainesville Police Department; and Stephen Wilder, a retired detective in the University of Florida Police Department. “20/20” airs on Friday, March 1 (9:01-11:00 p.m. EST), on ABC, next day on Hulu.

ABC News’ “20/20” is the No. 1 award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts. A proven leader as a long-form newsmagazine for over 45 years, “20/20” features unforgettable, character-driven true-crime mysteries, exclusive newsmaker interviews, hard-hitting investigative reports and in-depth coverage of high-profile stories. Janice Johnston is the executive producer. The two-hour “20/20” events air Fridays from 9:01-11:00 p.m. EST on ABC and are available to stream on ABC News digital platforms and Hulu.

*COPYRIGHT ©2024 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All photography is copyrighted material and is for editorial use only. Images are not to be archived, altered, duplicated, resold, retransmitted or used for any other purposes without written permission of ABC News. Images are distributed to the press in order to publicize current programming. Any other usage must be licensed.

ABC News Media Relations
Sarah Jautz
sarah.jautz@abc.com

Bridgette Maney
bridgette@bridgepr.net