On November 7, 2006, Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot and killed outside of his apartment. No one was charged with the murder, and the case remained open…until Thursday.
Per the Miami Herald, Rashaun Jones, a former teammate of Pata’s, was arrested on Thursday and charged with his murder. Last November, ESPN published an investigative story by Paula Lavigne and Elizabeth Merrill that explored Pata’s murder, with Jones prominently featured. In the piece, Jones denied any involvement with Pata’s killing.
Looking at this from the outside, this circumstantial evidence against Jones sure seems suspicious.
The documents obtained by ESPN also revealed that in the hours after the shooting, Jones — who had been suspended because of a third positive marijuana test — skipped a mandatory team meeting at the campus athletic center. The story also says Jones changed his phone number the day of the shooting and asked another student athlete “to borrow money to go out of town.”
Jones had previously dated Pata’s girlfriend, and the two had gotten into multiple fistfights.
It’s currently unknown what changed in the case that spurred the arrest of Jones. However, it’s still incredible that nearly 15 years later, this case might finally be closed and Bryan Pata’s friends and family may get closure.
