Miami Hurricanes player Rashaun Jones Court Case Update

Erica Siaulnski, Staff Writer

Court judge Cristina Miranda declares a mistrial on the case of the former Miami Hurricanes player Rashaun Jones, who had been accused of shooting former ex-teammate Bryan Pata in 2006. 

During the trial, after hours of reflection the jury struggled to reach a verdict. Resulting in a deadlock, resulting in the judge announcing a mistrial. In which one anonymous juror informed the media that only one of the jurors wanted to convict Jones. The jury found the argument weak and lacking evidence. 

Under Florida state law, mistrial can result in the option of trying the case again with a new jury and a new trial must come in 90 days. Both the Pata family and the Jones family were present in the courtroom during the trial. 

Jones was not tried until 15 years following the killing, although he was appointed as a suspect almost immediately. He maintained innocence throughout the entire trial and refused a plea deal offer which offered limiting his jail time. 

The prosecutors listened to a recorded testimony of the former University of Miami instructor, who insisted he had seen someone leaving the apartment complex in which Pata was shot in, shortly after the killing. Following evidence included a rough sketch of the man, and a description of what witnesses around the building had seen at the time. Teammates had also given testimonies, only two of which mentioned Jones owning a weapon. Another piece of evidence that the jury considered was the fact that Pata and Jones had had an argument over a girl. 

One large piece of evidence that was thoroughly discussed throughout the trial was the fact that no one else had been convicted for over 15 years. Although there is no statute of limitations on homicide, some have pointed out that there may have been pressure on the court to find someone to blame for Pata’s murder. 

Following the arrest of Jones, ESPN launched an investigation that followed multiple leads in which the police had followed and then dropped. Reporting three alleged murder confessions, one of which being from a jail inmate who said that a fellow inmate had confessed to him that he killed Pata for money. Another being a federal immigration officer who died in 2010, who admitted to killing Pata that night. 

Jones remains incarcerated since his arrest in 2021.