The murder trial for former University of Miami Hurricanes football player Rashaun Jones ended in a mistrial on Monday, March 2, after jurors told ESPN the prosecution could not prove his guilt. Jones, 40, was accused of shooting and killing his former teammate, Bryan Pata, at Pata's apartment complex after practice in November 2006. Pata was 22 when he died. Jones was not arrested until 2021, shortly after an alleged witness identified him in a photo lineup. The former Hurricane has maintained innocence and declined plea offers before the trial. After the trial, members of the six-person jury spoke to ESPN on the condition of anonymity, where they explained where the prosecution fell short. "A lot of speculation, a lot of things that pointed to [Jones]," one juror said in a story published Tuesday, March 3. "In order for us to get there, we had to make a lot of assumptions. We didn't feel like we should be making those assumptions ...
There were so many gaps in the evidence that we needed." What Does 'Sports Story' Get Wrong About Aaron Hernandez's Life and Crimes? "We just think the state hadn't proved their case," another added. In Florida, a six-person jury requires a unanimous verdict to convict a defendant of murder. ESPN reports that five jurors wanted to acquit and one holdout wanted to convict, triggering the mistrial. An alternate juror named Ryan, who was dismissed before deliberations, expressed his sympathy for Pata's family, but agreed with the five who voted to acquit. "They don't deserve that because I think they were misled [by police]," Ryan said of Pata's family. "I mean, somebody did it. But they didn't have what it took to prove that it was Rashaun. ... They presented us with a motive that was flaccid ... there wasn't enough there." O.J. Simpson's Murder Trial Key Players: Where Are They Now? Paul Conner, a former University of Miami writing instructor and the man who identified Jones in a photo lineup, was the state's lone eyewitness. Jurors were not convinced by his testimony, with one explaining that Conner could have recognized Jones from around campus, not just as the person allegedly at Pata's apartment complex at the time of his murder. The state tried to argue that Jones could have killed Pata over an argument about Pata's girlfriend, Jada Brody, who previously had a sexual relationship with Jones. Brody did not testify, leaving jurors unconvinced of the alleged tension between Jones and Pata. "For me, I needed to hear from Jada," one juror said. "I needed to understand how toxic was this relationship between these two." "I just was shocked that, you know, Jada, Jada, Jada, Jada, and she wasn't there," Ryan added. Ex-Jets Player Darron Lee Denied Bond After Being Charged With Murdering GF Jurors also found lead detective Juan Segovia's testimony unconvincing. "We just felt like there were a lot of inconsistencies that came out of his testimony," a juror said. "What he did when he got the case, what he followed up on. He became very combative during his testimony. It's just a feeling that he just did not come off as very credible to us." Additionally, there were questions around the alleged murder weapon, which was never found. Pata was killed by a .38-caliber gun, and the state argued it was common knowledge that Jones owned one. Yet, after having 10 former Miami football players testify, only two said they knew he owned such a firearm. "Surely you can find more players if this was 'common knowledge,'" a juror said. Prosecutors indicated on Tuesday, March 3 that they intend to retry the case, according to ESPN.