GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A belt, blood stains and a broken windshield are all pieces of evidence that prosecutors in Alachua County are using to prove their theory of a violent, premeditated murder.
Pedro Bravo, 20, is accused of killing University of Florida freshman Christian Aguilar because of his obsession with a woman.
Erika Friman once dated Bravo while in high school at Doral Academy, but she ended the relationship to date Aguilar, a mutual high school friend.
In court Thursday, jurors were shown pictures of a blue Chevrolet Blazer that belonged to Bravo.
"There's a small impact in the windshield itself where the glass was broken," said Marc Trahan, a crime scene investigator with the Gainesville Police Department. "There were a couple pieces of duct tape stuck on the window over the crack."
Trahan told the courtroom he used a chemical called Luminol to detect blood and found several stains on the floor in the back of the SUV. Pictures taken that day were shown to jury. They showed blood stains on the insoles of a pair of shoes and a can of paint in which Bravo kept stored in the vehicle.
Detectives also found a Gatorade bottle with some white residue.
The SUV is where investigators believe Aguilar was strangled to death before his body was dumped in a remote field.
Aguilar, who was reported missing Sept. 21, 2012, was last seen alive shopping with Bravo.
Investigators also found surveillance images of Bravo purchasing a shovel, bandages, over-the-counter drugs and duct tape.
Prosecutors believe Bravo planned a malicious plot to poison and kill Aguilar in order to get his ex-girlfriend back.
Bravo is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, illegally transporting a dead body and providing false statements to law enforcement. Bravo faces life in prison if convicted.