Jury selection underway in high-profile case that shocked Miami’s football community and Haitian-American family
Miami, FL – February 12, 2026 Nearly two decades after the crime that rocked the University of Miami football program and left a Haitian-American family searching for answers, the murder trial of former Hurricanes player Rashaun Jones is finally underway in Miami.
Jones, 40, is charged with first-degree murder in the November 7, 2006, fatal shooting of his teammate Bryan Pata, a promising defensive lineman who was shot in the back of the head outside his Kendall apartment.
Jury selection resumed this week after a brief delay. Opening statements and witness testimony are expected imminently. Jones has been held in custody for over four years and rejected a plea deal at a February 2 hearing, maintaining his innocence. Conviction carries a potential life sentence.
Prosecutors are building a circumstantial case relying on witness statements, cell phone data, and testimony from a jailhouse informant. A key development involved the main eyewitness, 81-year-old Paul Connor, who was initially reported dead by prosecutors last year but was later located alive in Kentucky.
Bryan Pata’s Story
Bryan Pata, born August 12, 1984, in Miami to Haitian immigrant parents, grew up in Little Haiti as the youngest of nine children raised by his single mother, Jeanette Pata. A standout defensive tackle at Miami Central High School, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound player was projected as a second- or third-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. His siblings say his relentless drive came partly from wanting to buy his mother a house after years of her working multiple jobs.
The Pata family has waited nearly 20 years for this trial. Jeanette Pata and her children have described Bryan as kind, hardworking, and deeply family-oriented. The case has haunted Miami’s sports community and the broader Haitian-American diaspora.
L’Union Suite will continue to follow the trial closely and update on major testimony, developments, and the family’s pursuit of justice.
Our continued thoughts and prayers are with the Pata family.
