Christian Aguilar buried after funeral

Family, friends say goodbye to University of Florida student

MIAMI – Family and friends gathered Tuesday to say one final goodbye to Christian Aguilar, the University of Florida student who police say was killed by his friend.

The funeral for Aguilar, 18, was held at St. Dominic Catholic Church. He was buried at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery.

Aguilar's smile and warm spirit is what touched people who got to know him the most.

"As a mother, I feel the pain of the family," said Isabel Martinez.

The funeral mass was open to the public but no pictures or video were allowed. People inside told Local 10's Terrell Forney that it was a very emotional service.

"The service was a great service, very peaceful and everybody came with the purpose of remembering Christian as a happy, talented great man," said Dennis Rodriguez.

Aguilar disappeared last month, prompting weeks of searches near the University of Florida.

The body of Aguilar was found in rural Levy County on October 12. Police used dental records to identify him.

Pedro Bravo, who went to Doral Academy with Aguilar, is charged with first-degree murder in Aguilar's death. Bravo has pleaded not guilty.

"We keep asking the community to pray for the family because there's another process after the burial tonight," said Rodriguez. "They're going to have to go through the trial. It's going to be tough on them."