Former Miami player pleads not guilty in 2006 murder of teammate

Former Miami Hurricanes football player Rashaun Jones pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Friday. Jones is accused of killing his teammate, Bryan Pata, outside of his apartment complex near campus in 2006. 

Jones’ attorney entered the plea during a court hearing, which took place remotely, following the formal filing of second-degree murder charges. 

When Jones was originally arrested in August it was on first-degree murder charges. It is still possible for him to face the first-degree murder charge, but the prosecution would need to present the murder case to a grand jury. 

Jones told detectives he did not leave his house the night Pata was killed, but cell phone records show Jones’ phone was in different locations throughout the evening. According to police, an eyewitness in the area on the night of the killing was able to identify Jones out of a photo lineup.

If convicted, Pata could face a death sentence or be sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

2006 murder went unsolved for over a decade

Pata was a star defensive lineman for the Miami Hurricanes in 2006 when the senior was shot in the back of the head and killed while walking from his car to the stairs of his apartment building on Nov. 7.

ESPN published a story on Pata’s then-unsolved murder case in November of 2020 and named Jones as a potential suspect, given the fact he had been in two fights with Pata. As the word about Pata’s killing spread across the apartment complex and the University of Miami, the Hurricane coaching staff held a private meeting with the team — one player was absent from the meeting, according to ESPN: Jones. He had recently been suspended from the team due to a third positive marijuana test.

“Jones would later tell police that he was home alone the night Pata was murdered, and that when he heard of Pata’s death, he headed to the Hecht Center, presumably for the meeting,” the story reads. “But other witnesses told police, and more than a dozen ex-players told ESPN for this story, that they had no recollection of Jones being there.”

Jones was a top-rated defensive back recruit when he entered Miami’s program but was utilized mostly on special teams. 

Pata was dating Jada Brody at the time of his death, and the two had an on-and-off relationship for quite some time, according to the ESPN story. Jones had dated Brody before Pata, leading to a complicated relationship.

“Jones dated Brody first, and, witnesses said, he reminded Pata of it constantly,” the ESPN story says.

There was an outpouring of support when arrest was made last month

On the day of the arrest, many of Pata and Jones’ former teammates spoke out with bittersweet feelings, as the charges took them back to the night of the killing and the immediate aftermath. 

“This… this is crazy,” said former Hurricanes defensive end Eric Moncur. “Finally, Bryan’s family can get some closure. But my own teammate? Like… damn.”

Bryan’s brother, Edwin, who played football at Florida State and now works in recruiting at Miami, was understandably shaken up following the news becoming public.

“My head is spinning. It’s been a whirlwind,” Pata said. “We knew this was coming. Police told us. But now it’s real. I’m driving to go be with my mom and my family. I just want to be with her.”

On3’s Simon Gibbs contributed to this report.