NBC 6’s Carlos Suarez has the latest on a former University of Miami football player accused of killing a teammate outside a South Florida apartment complex in 2006.
A former University of Miami football player accused of killing a teammate outside a South Florida apartment complex in 2006 was back in court Tuesday as he seeks his release on bond.
Rashaun Jones, 35, is facing a second-degree murder charge in the killing of Bryan Pata. He was arrested last year, nearly 15 years after Pata's death.
Jones was back in court Tuesday for the second day of an Arthur Hearing where a judge will determine whether he can be released on bond.
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Prosecutors want Jones to remain behind bars until his trial but defense attorneys are arguing for a bond saying some of the witness testimony was known to police shortly after the killing but the arrest wasn't made until last year, 15 years after Pata's death.
On Monday, a witness testified hearing a gunshot and described picking Jones out of a police lineup. Detectives also detailed how they tied the gun used in the murder to Jones by the caliber.
"That was probably the most intimate detail of the investigation that we made sure never got out and nobody ever found out about," Miami-Dade Police Det. Juan Segovia said. "As the investigation continues and we interview people we begin to learn that the defendant had on numerous occasions made mention that he owned a .38 caliber, had made threats to people about shooting them and had actually pointed a gun consistent with the firearm at somebody on the campus of the University of Miami."
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On Tuesday, police detailed how the 22-year-old Pata was shot.
Pata was expected to be an early pick in the 2007 NFL draft following his fourth and final season with the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound defensive lineman was shot several times outside of his Kendall apartment the night of Nov. 7, 2006.
Investigators said they learned through numerous interviews that Pata and Jones, who played three seasons with the Hurricanes, had experienced confrontations before the shooting.
Pata previously beat his teammate during a fight, officials said. And Pata’s brother told investigators that Jones had threatened to shoot Pata two months before his death. Despite the urging of his brother, Pata never reported the threat.
During two interviews with detectives, Jones told investigators that he was at his own home and never left on the night of Pata’s death. But records show that Jones’ cellphone was using different cell towers around the time of the shooting, authorities said.
Jones has entered a not guilty plea to the charge.
