Almost a month after Gainesville Police charged Pedro Bravo with the murder of Christian Aguilar, Bravo has decided to plead not guilty in the case.
Following the written not-guilty plea filed Friday, Bravo’s arraignment, planned for today, was canceled.
His lawyer requested that prosecutors from the State Attorney’s Office begin to release evidence, also known as discovery, according to court documents from the Alachua County Clerk of Courts.
This phase before the trial will give the defense the opportunity to review evidence collected from prosecutors to build a case.
Police named Bravo a person of interest after Aguilar went missing Sept. 20. Bravo has been in Alachua County Jail since Sept. 24, when he was initially charged with depriving a victim of medical assistance.
Since then, police released limited evidence which includes Bravo telling GPD detectives he beat Aguilar until he lost consciousness, and left him in a parking lot in northeast Gainesville.
Police also said they found Aguilar’s backpack in Bravo’s closet, a receipt that showed Bravo purchased a shovel and duct tape several days before Aguilar’s disappearance and blood inside Bravo’s 2004 Chevrolet Blazer.
On Oct. 12, police said two hunters found a body in Levy County. Three days later, the Eighth Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed through dental records that the body was Aguilar’s.
On Monday, attorneys from the Law Offices of Larry Gibbs Turner, P.L., filed an order, removing themselves from the case. They were replaced by the Office of the Public Defender, according to court records.
Ron Kozlowski, one of Bravo’s former attorneys, said the cost of a potentially lengthy trial influenced the family’s decision to utilize a public defender.
“They decided, considering their modest means, they couldn’t afford private counsel for the case,” he said.
Alan Chipperfield, an assistant public defender, will represent Bravo in the case.
Bravo and Chipperfield will be called before Judge Mark Moseley at 2 p.m. Nov. 28, according the Clerk of Courts’ website.
As the case moves to trial, Kozlowski mentioned the continued suffering of the Aguilar and Bravo families.
“I just hope both families can find some peace when this is all over,” he said, “It’s been hard on everybody.”
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
