Miami Football Murder Case Takes Unexpected Turn as Judge Declares Mistrial After 20 Years

On Monday, a mistrial was announced in the long-standing case involving former Miami football star Rashaun Jones, who faced charges for the killing of teammate Bryan Pata nearly two decades ago.

The courtroom was taken by surprise as the jury found themselves at an impasse, unable to reach a unanimous decision. This led Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda to declare the mistrial.

Further proceedings are scheduled to continue Tuesday morning, with the possibility of a retrial on the horizon.

In a heartfelt reaction to the mistrial, Bryan Pata’s brother, Edwin Pata, expressed the family’s frustration. “It’s frustrating, really, for all of us, especially for our mom and for every single sibling and every single person that came out and supported us,” he said.

Edwin emphasized the family’s desire for resolution, stating, “I think the big thing for us is closure, just some kind of closure for us. We’re going to remain steadfast… we’ve just got to press on.”

Bryan Pata’s family holds up his jersey at the beginning of a college football game back in 2006

Jones’ attorneys have insisted that he had nothing to do with the killing and believe the case against their client is built largely on circumstantial evidence.

During the trial, prosecutors claimed Jones had a gun, a motive and an opportunity to kill his teammate in 2006. 

The most significant testimony came from a 2022 recording of former University of Miami faculty member named Paul Conner. As he explained in the recording, Conner told police in 2006 he heard a gunshot and then witnessed a man emerge from the direction of the blast. He also picked Jones out of police lineups in 2006 and 2022.

Due to Conner’s health and memory issues, the judge ruled the 81-year-old was not fit to testify in person at trial, which is why she allowed the 2022 recording to be submitted.

‘[Conner] immediately came back to the second [photo] and said, “This is the guy who ran past me,”‘ testified Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Detective Juan Segovia, who has worked on the case since 2006.

Segovia was put in charge of the cold case in 2020, which appears to be what led to Jones’ 2021 arrest for second-degree murder. 

Pata (L) was shot in the head nearly 20 years ago and Rashaun Jones (R) was arrested in 2021

As Segovia told jurors, Jones’ name repeatedly came up in the days following the crime. He further testified that there was a ‘lot of bad blood’ between the players as Pata’s girlfriend had allegedly been in a previous romantic relationship with Jones.

There are also questions about Jones’ whereabouts at the time of the murder. Segovia claimed phone records indicate the defendant was near the scene of the crime on November 7, 2006.

What’s more, a teammate told police he saw Jones with a .38-caliber revolver, which is believed to be the weapon used in the crime. Another teammate said they’d heard Jones discussing his handgun.

As Segovia told jurors, he believes the evidence in the case points to Jones.

‘It was all the historical previous threats he had made to the victim,’ Segovia said, as quoted by ESPN. ‘It was the threats accompanied with the display or talk of the same type of firearm that killed the victim. 

‘It was the phone records, it was the identification of Mr. Conner and all the lies … the lies about where he was that night. The lies about the phone.’

Pata was killed in 2006. His teammate Jones (wearing 38) is the prime suspect in his murder

Jones denied owning a firearm when speaking to police.

He has been in police custody for nearly five years due to a series of court delays and turnover for both defense attorneys and prosecutors. Jones has maintained his innocence and declined a pretrial deal that would have given him 15 years in prison with credit for time served.

The former Miami defensive back faces up to life in prison if he’s convicted on the second-degree murder charge.

Defense attorney Christian Maroni rebutted much of the testimony and introduced several other leads pursued by police. However, as reported by ESPN, prosecutors objected each time and the judge typically ruled in the state’s favor.