Rashaun Jones Pleads Not Guilty in Killing of Former Miami Teammate Bryan Pata

Former University of Miami football player Rashaun Jones pleaded not guilty to the 2006 killing of former teammate Bryan Pata on Friday, per the Associated Press.

Jones, 36, had long been suspected of killing Pata but was not arrested for nearly 15 years after Pata's shooting at a Kendall, Florida apartment. He was originally arrested on a first-degree murder charge but that was reduced to second-degree murder.

"The community never stopped contacting us," Detective Juan Segovia said in a statement after Jones was arrested in August. "Even if we got a thousand tips and only one was the one that actually put the pieces together, that's what it took, and that's exactly what happened in this case.

"I can only hope that this brings the Pata family a little bit of closure and a little bit of satisfaction."

Jones previously denied any involvement during a 2019 interview with ESPN's Paula Lavigne and Elizabeth Merrill.

"What happened 12 years ago, happened 12 years ago," Jones said. "It's got nothing to do with me. ... I didn't do it."

The two teammates reportedly had regular issues with one another during their time at Miami, including arguments, fights and Smith allegedly telling Pata he would shoot him two months before his death. 

A witness identified Smith as the shooter in a police lineup, and records show Smith's cell phone being used away from his home the night of the murder. Smith told police he was home the entire night.