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Jury Selection Begins In Pedro Bravo Trial

Defendant Pedro Bravo attends jury selection in courtroom 1B of the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center Monday, August 4, 2014. Bravo is on trial for the murder of University of Florida student Christian Aguilar. (Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun)
Defendant Pedro Bravo attends jury selection in courtroom 1B of the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center Monday, August 4, 2014. Bravo is on trial for the murder of University of Florida student Christian Aguilar. (Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun)

The trial of Pedro Bravo, 20, a Miami man who faces life in prison for the 2012 kidnapping and killing of 18-year-old University of Florida student Christian Aguilar begins today at the Alachua County Criminal Justice Center.

Bravo, a high school friend of Aguilar's, is facing seven charges including kidnapping, poisoning, tampering with physical evidence, providing false information to police, improperly handling of human remains, destruction of evidence and homicide.

Police stated that Bravo was the last person to be seen with Aguilar on a surveillance video from Best Buy. Bravo was arrested four days later after admitting they fought over a girl. Aguilar's body was found later in a shallow grave in Levy County by a group of hunters.

Circuit Judge James Colaw will preside over the trial, which is expected to last about two weeks.  Jury selection, which begins today, should take approximately three days.

Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org