The retrial for a former University of Miami football player charged with killing his teammate has been moved into 2027 after attorneys on Thursday raised concerns about a pending investigation and schedule conflicts. The trial is now set for Feb. 8.
Rashaun Jones, 41, has been in custody for more than five years since he was arrested for allegedly murdering teammate Bryan Pata, who was shot in the head in the parking lot of his apartment complex on Nov. 7, 2006, as he arrived home from football practice.
Jones was arrested in August 2021. His first trial last February ended in a hung jury, and Florida 11th Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda declared a mistrial.
A week ago, the court reset the trial for Nov. 9, after Miranda determined that neither side was ready for the trial, which had been scheduled to start Sept. 14. But attorneys at that hearing did not have an opportunity to weigh in on the new trial date. Nov. 9 is now when Jones is scheduled to be tried on drug charges after allegedly being found in possession of synthetic marijuana while in jail.
There have been multiple delays in retrying the murder case, stemming from issues over attorney conduct, the handling of witnesses, and an investigation into the lead detective.
There have also been issues surrounding a jailhouse informant, who said in 2022 that Jones confessed to him of having killed Pata, and who said earlier this summer that an attorney had offered him money to not testify. A cellmate of that informant said last month that the informant told him he had lied about the confession and bribery allegations, according to a recorded interview.
On Thursday, Assistant State Attorney Cristina Diamond said "we don't have a complete picture" yet of what happened, citing what she said was an ongoing investigation.
Miranda also ruled Thursday to reject defense counsel's fourth motion to disqualify her from presiding over the case. The motion included an affidavit from Jones, stating that he has a fear that the court's "adverse view of my attorneys has already prevented my defense from being heard and will continue to prevent fair consideration of my case."
