MIAMI (WSVN) - After another delay, a trial 20 years in the making has finally begun.
Opening statements were finally made Wednesday in the murder trial of former Miami Hurricanes football player Rashaun Jones, who’s accused of killing teammate Bryan Pata, after the trial was delayed.
Tuesday’s delay came after the defense argued new information about a Homeland Security confidential informant who made statements regarding the murder that could possibly sway the case.
“The confidential informant said he was playing dominoes with an individual a few weeks after Bryan Pata was murdered, and that individual confessed to killing someone,” said defense attorney Christian Maroni.
However, the state said the timeline doesn’t add up.
“That statement was made. The CI contacted his handler, his special agent, in July of 2009 about a recent homicide,” said a prosecutor.
Still, due to the new evidence in the case, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda gave both sides the rest of the day Tuesday to flush out the facts.
“I don’t want to have openings until we have answers,” the judge said.
But on Wednesday, the jury was seated and the trial was underway.
“We are here because of pressure, not because of proof,” the defense said. “And the simple truth is that Rashaun Jones is innocent. The government is going to bring you ordinary, innocent facts and they’re going to ask you to do mental gymnastics to make their theory fit.”
The prosecution argued on Wednesday that Jones was jealous of Pata, whose NFL draft stock appeared very promising as a premier defensive lineman at the time.
“His dreams, essentially, of playing major college football began to dwindle, and in the midst of all this, Bryan’s star is on the rise,” the prosecution said.
The case stems from the death of then-22-year-old Pata, a defensive lineman and a projected top NFL draft pick at the time. Jones is accused of shooting him in the back of the head outside his Kendall apartment after a team practice in November 2006.
Pata’s roommate, Dwayne Hendricks, recalled finding him that day.
“I was talking to Bryan and him saying to me, ‘I’ll meet you at the crib,'” said Hendricks. “I hopped out of the car and I was like, ‘Yo, stop playing!’ I walked up on him and I think I said it two times, ‘Stop playing!’ Once I finally got to the site, he had a puddle of blood behind his head.”
The case went cold for several years, until 2021, when new evidence surfaced, and a key witness who was believed to be dead turned up alive.
That discovery led to Jones’ arrest, but the defense has since accused the state of misrepresenting evidence, claiming that documents are missing and that the case has a string of holes.
Jones has maintained his innocence, refusing a plea deal earlier in the case.
Also on Wednesday, Pata’s older brother, Fednol Pierre, took the stand, claiming Pata and Jones had fought in the past and were not friends. He also told the court his family has become frustrated over the lack of progress in finding Pata’s killer.
The trial is expected to last two weeks.
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