The promising life of Texas A&M University cheerleader Brianna Aguilera ended in tragedy on 28 November, but the circumstances of her fatal fall from a 17-storey Austin apartment building have ignited a bitter dispute between her grieving family and local police.
A Rushed Verdict and a Family's Outrage
Aged just 19, Aguilera was found dead on the sidewalk at 2101 Rio Grande Street around 1am. Austin Police Department (APD) detectives concluded she took her own life. They stated her death was an impulsive act following an argument with her boyfriend, Aldo Sanchez, 20, after a day of heavy drinking during the annual Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game.
However, the Aguilera family and their high-profile attorney, Tony Buzbee, vehemently reject this finding. They accuse the APD of a "shoddy and unprofessional" investigation, alleging officers ignored vital evidence and rushed to judgment. "They have failed this family," Buzbee claimed.
Unanswered Questions and a Critical Witness
Central to the family's concerns is a roughly 12-hour gap between when Aguilera was last seen and when she was reported missing. Buzbee told the Daily Mail he possesses text messages from a roommate in the apartment suggesting there was "awareness early that morning that Brianna was no longer in the apartment," yet police were not called for hours.
Furthermore, Buzbee revealed a key witness he says APD overlooked: neighbour Dannah Rodriguez. Rodriguez claims she heard a heated argument involving multiple people in the apartment opposite hers late on 27 November. "I began hearing a girl arguing with other people," Rodriguez said, describing the walls as "paper-thin." The confrontation involved loud screaming and was so intense Rodriguez's mother considered intervening.
Buzbee asserts investigators have still not interviewed Rodriguez. He also claims they failed to properly question those present, examine their phones, or search for signs of a struggle in the apartment.
Conflicting Evidence and a Legal Battle
Police maintain their suicide determination is sound. In December, they revealed investigators found a deleted suicide note on Aguilera's phone written earlier that week, along with suicidal texts sent the evening of her death and indications of self-harm.
Buzbee dismissed these claims as "absolute and total baloney." He contends the alleged note was an irrelevant deleted essay and that there was no prior evidence of mental health struggles. "The more I look into this, the more I feel strongly that suicide is not what happened here," he stated.
The timeline from police notes Aguilera was asked to leave a tailgate at the Austin Rugby Club at 10pm due to intoxication. Surveillance footage shows her arriving at the 21 Rio apartment complex at 11pm. After a group left around 12:30am, she argued with her boyfriend on the phone from 12:43am. By 12:46am, police were called about a body below.
Undeterred by the police ruling, Buzbee is conducting a separate investigation and has filed a lawsuit against a club and the rugby club for allegedly over-serving Aguilera alcohol while she was underage. He pledges this legal action will allow him to compel testimony and obtain crucial records to uncover what he believes truly happened to the aspiring law student whose life was cut short.
