Former Hurricanes player Rashaun Jones faces potential retrial in execution-style killing that haunted Miami football and Haitian-American family for nearly 20 years
A Florida judge declared a mistrial on March 2 in the high-profile second-degree murder trial of former University of Miami football player Rashaun Jones, 40, accused of fatally shooting his teammate Bryan Pata nearly two decades ago.
The case, unsolved for 15 years until Jones’s 2021 arrest in Ocala, ended with a deadlocked six-person jury after roughly six hours of deliberations over two days. Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda declared the mistrial after jurors informed the court they could not reach a unanimous verdict, with no one willing to change their position.
Bryan Pata, a promising 22-year-old Haitian-American defensive lineman with NFL aspirations, was gunned down execution-style outside his southwest Miami-Dade apartment complex on November 7, 2006, shortly after returning from practice. He died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Born in Miami to Haitian immigrant parents and raised in Little Haiti as the youngest of nine children, Pata was remembered by family as hardworking, family-oriented, and driven to succeed so he could provide for his mother.
Prosecutors alleged jealousy as a possible motive, citing prior altercations between Jones and Pata, including over a mutual romantic interest. The state’s case relied on circumstantial evidence: cell phone records placing Jones near the scene, witness identifications, and testimony from a jailhouse informant. No murder weapon was ever recovered.
Jones, who has pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence, declined to testify. His defense called no witnesses and rested its case after the prosecution.
Prosecutors have signaled they may seek a retrial, though no date has been announced. Pata’s family — including siblings who have advocated tirelessly for justice — expressed deep disappointment in the courtroom but remained resolute. Emotional reactions were visible as the mistrial was declared. One anonymous juror later described the intense divisions over the evidence to local media.
The case has garnered widespread attention in South Florida’s sports community and Haitian-American diaspora, where Pata’s killing remains a painful, unresolved tragedy. The mistrial leaves the family and many in the community still seeking closure after nearly two decades.
L’Union Suite will continue following any retrial announcements, jury insights, and the Pata family’s ongoing pursuit of justice.
Our thoughts remain with Jeanette Pata, the siblings, and all who loved Bryan.
