Pedro Bravo Drugged and Suffocated Christian Aguilar, Authorities Allege

State Attorney Bill Cervone obtained a grand jury indictment on Thursday that supersedes the original indictment, a spokesman confirmed

Authorities now allege that Pedro Bravo drugged and suffocated University of Florida student Christian Aguilar, a spokesman for the State Attorney’s Office in Alachua County confirmed Thursday.

Spencer Mann confirmed that State Attorney Bill Cervone obtained a grand jury indictment on Thursday that supersedes the original indictment.

Bravo, 18, has until now faced charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and depriving a crime victim of medical care. But the new indictment adds charges of witness tampering, poisoning by food or water, providing law enforcement with false reports, providing law enforcement with false information and the illegal transportation of a dead human body, Mann told NBC 6 South Florida.

Aguilar, 18, was buried on Oct. 23. His remains were found about 60 miles from Gainesville in Levy County on Oct. 12 after nearly three weeks of searching.

Bravo's attorney has previously said that he will file a not guilty plea.

According to authorities, Aguilar was last seen alive with Bravo, his friend and former classmate at Doral Preparatory High School, on Sept. 20 at a Gainesville Best Buy. 

Police said they found blood in Bravo's SUV and found Aguilar's backpack hidden inside a suitcase in Bravo's closet. Bravo also bought a shovel and roll of duct tape days before the disappearance of Aguilar, a UF freshman, according to authorities.

Police have previously said that Bravo said that he punched Aguilar in the face during an altercation before demanding that Aguilar get out of his vehicle. He then got out of his SUV, followed Aguilar, tripped him and beat him for 10 to 15 minutes before leaving him in a wooded area, Bravo told police in an interview on Sept. 21, according to an arrest report. Gainesville Police said they could never confirm his account, however.

Bravo is being held in the Alachua County Jail on no bond, according to online Alachua County Sheriff's Office records.

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