Mistrial in UM football star Bryan Pata’s murder after jury deadlocked
A judge on Monday declared a mistrial in the case of Rashuan Jones, the UM football player accused of gunning down his star teammate in 2006, after the jury said it was deadlocked.
The six jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict after deliberating for about six hours. Jurors were weighing whether Jones, 40, is guilty of the murder of his teammate Bryan Pata.
Jones will likely be tried again. The judge set a hearing for Tuesday morning.
Pata, a 22-year-old Hurricanes star defensive lineman expected to be a top NFL draft pick, was shot and killed on Nov. 7, 2006, outside his home at the Colony Apartments in Kendall. He had just returned from football practice.
Jones was arrested on a second-degree murder charge in 2021, 15 years after Pata’s death.
READ MORE: Did he kill his UM football star teammate in 2006? Jury is deciding
Jones bit his lip but displayed no reaction when the mistrial was declared. He then hugged his attorneys.
After the hung jury, dozens of Pata’s loved ones shuffled out of the courtroom with somber expressions. Some teared up, and several relatives consoled each other.
In the hallway awaiting an elevator, Pata’s mother Jeannette Pata said, “It’s a shame. It’s a shame. It’s a shame.”
Before the mistrial, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda read the jury a special instruction urging them to deliberate until they reach a verdict, citing that the trial has taken three weeks.
The jury, however, remained deadlocked.
During closing arguments on Thursday, prosecutors acknowledged the evidence presented in the case was circumstantial.
Prosecutor Cristina Diamond pointed to a series of fights and arguments between Pata and Jones while they were both Hurricanes. Jones’ jealousy, she said, was compounded as his football dreams dwindled: Jones was suspended from playing for testing positive for marijuana.
READ MORE: Bryan Pata had fought teammate accused of killing him, friend of UM star says
As the investigation ensued, the coincidences started to build up, Diamond said: The history of bad blood between Jones and Pata. Jones’ absence from the mandatory team meeting after Pata’s murder. Jones’ locker room references to having “a 38 on me,” which prosecutors said was linked to a .38 caliber revolver and not his jersey number.
A UM professor, who lived in the Colony Apartments, also identified Jones out of police photo lineups on two different occasions.
“Everything adds up to one individual, and that is the defendant,” Diamond said. “There is only one verdict that makes sense, and that is that the defendant is guilty of the homicide of Bryan Pata.”
READ MORE: Ex-teammate’s name kept coming up in UM football star’s murder probe: detective
Turning to jurors during closing arguments, defense attorney Christian Maroni proclaimed Jones’ innocence.
Maroni, too, focused on how the case was circumstantial, saying there was no “direct, credible evidence” tying Jones to Pata’s murder. Instead, prosecutors made “several leaps” to try to link the fatal bullet to Jones, Maroni said.
READ MORE: New evidence of hitman, Haitian gang in UM football star’s murder, defense says
Maroni also highlighted how possible suspects were quickly ruled out, including a man whose fingerprints were found on the hood of Pata’s car.
“Rashaun Jones is not responsible,” the attorney said. “Rashaun Jones had nothing to do with [Pata’s] death.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 10:48 AM.
