Opening statements began in the trial for 40-year-old Rashuan Jones, the former UM football player accused of murdering teammate Bryan Pata in 2006 on Wednesday, Feb. 18 at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.
Jones is accused of shooting 22-year-old Pata outside of his Kendall home in November of 2006 and was arrested 15 years later. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
Pata was a defensive lineman who was expected to be a top NFL draft pick before his death.
Opening statements were supposed to begin on Tuesday, Feb. 17, but were delayed by new developments that emerged after a confidential source informed the defense of a possible hitman on Pata and Haitian gang involvement, though the prosecution called it hearsay.
This was later confirmed to be triple hearsay by Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda, meaning the statement has passed through three different people, therefore becoming too unreliable to be used as evidence.
Prosecutors allege Pata was killed by his teammate in a “long-running dispute” fueled by jealousy and on-going issues between the pair, including when Pata reportedly punched and beat Jones during an altercation inside a dorm room in 2004.
“You will hear that regardless of where this investigation took detectives, it kept coming back to one person — Rashuan Jones,” said the prosecution to the jury.
Former Hurricanes teammates who knew both players testified that Jones and Pata had been involved in fights, and recounted that the team was ordered to meet at the Hecht Athletic Center after learning of the shooting.
Former player Bruce Johnson told jurors he called Jones to inform him of the shooting and to tell him to report to the athletic facility.
But, prosecutors say Jones never showed up to the emergency meeting, and instead contacted a friend to ask for money.
Former UM student Michael Sanders testified that Jones called him but did not explain why he needed the money. Sanders did not provide it.
According to testimony from Pata’s former teammate Dave Howell, Jones later threatened Pata to “clip up,” which Howell said he understood to mean “get your guns.”
The defense claims investigators rushed to make an arrest after the case went cold, suggesting prosecutors have targeted Jones without sufficient evidence.
“Two things can be true at the same time,” said Sara Alvarez, Jones’ defense attorney. “Bryan Pata’s death was an absolute tragedy. But Rashuan Jones is innocent.”
The trial will continue this week.