MIAMI — Verdict watch continues Monday for the man accused of killing former University of Miami football player Bryan Pata in 2006.
Jurors first began deliberating Rashaun Jones’ fate on Thursday afternoon after hearing closing arguments Wednesday.
Miami-Dade prosecutors accuse Jones, 40, of fatally shooting Pata, 22, who was his teammate at UM, on Nov. 7, 2006 at an apartment complex in the Kendall area.
The state’s case hinges on allegations of jealousy and circumstantial evidence including Jones’ behavior, phone records and a projectile prosecutors alleged matched a gun he told others he owned.
“The defense wants you to believe that the defendant is the unluckiest person alive,” prosecutor Cristina Diamond told jurors on Wednesday.
Jones’ attorneys argue that the case is completely without merit. They attacked testimony given by former UM professor Paul Conner, who placed Jones at the scene.
“Paul Conner and his selection are not proof beyond a reasonable doubt. They are not credible. The other evidence in this case, the other pieces of these random puzzles that the government has tried to piece together for you, do not equal murder,” defense attorney Christian Maroni said. “The evidence in this case has shown that Rashaun Jones was at home, consistent with his phone records, consistent with his statement, consistent with all the evidence and the lack of evidence and the conflicts of the evidence that you have heard in this case.”
Prosecutors, in their rebuttal, acknowledged that the case is circumstantial, but said all of that evidence adds up.
“This is a circumstantial evidence case. We have talked about all of the pieces right, like a rope that is made up of many different strands,” prosecutor Kristen Rodriguez told jurors. “Independently, they may be nimble, but when put together, right, when put together, they form a bond, an unbreakable bond and that is what we have.”
If Jones is convicted of second-degree murder, he faces 25 years to life in prison.
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