Ex-Miami Hurricanes football player arrested for 2006 murder of teammate

LAKE CITY, Fla. — A former University of Miami football player was arrested Thursday and charged with the 2006 murder of his former teammate, authorities said Thursday.

>> Read more trending news

Rashaun Jones, 35, was arrested in Ocala, Florida, by Miami-Dade police, who were assisted by U.S. Marshals, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Jones, a defensive back for the Hurricanes, is accused of murdering Bryan Pata, 22, who was fatally shot outside his Miami-Dade County apartment, the newspaper reported.

Jones had been a suspect in the Pata case for many years, having once gotten into a fistfight with the defensive lineman, but had never been charged, according to the Miami Herald.

Jones will be extradited to Miami-Dade County from Marion County, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Jones and Pata were teammates at the University of Miami in 2004 and 2005.

Pata was a senior at the university when he was killed outside of his apartment on Nov.7, 2006, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

There were no direct eyewitnesses to the shooting, according to the Herald.

An ESPN story in November 2020 speculated that Jones was a likely suspect in Pata’s slaying, but no charges had been filed until Thursday.

In a video released by the Miami-Dade Police Department, homicide detective Juan Segovia spoke about the arrest. The warrant remained sealed Thursday afternoon, the Herald reported.

“As a result of 15 years of investigation, countless hours, numerous interviews and work done by countless detectives with the assistance of the state attorney’s office, we were able to obtain an arrest warrant charging Rashaun Jones with first-degree murder,” Segovia said in the video. “As a result of that warrant being signed, the U.S. Marshal service were able to locate Rashaun Jones, take him into custody and he was subsequently arrested for first-degree murder. He’s now awaiting extradition back to Miami-Dade County for prosecution.

“I can only hope this brings the Pata family a little bit of closure and satisfaction knowing that at least the person who took Bryan’s life is now in custody and will be facing charges.”

©2021 Cox Media Group