Jurors deadlock, judge declares mistrial in Miami football murder case
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MIAMI — A judge declared a mistrial Monday in the murder trial of former Miami Hurricanes player Rashaun Jones, accused of the shooting of teammate Bryan Pata in 2006.
About an hour after the six jurors began their second day of deliberations, Florida 11th Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda came into the courtroom to address the attorneys, reading a statement from the jurors: “At this point we are deadlocked with no one willing to move.” Miranda instructed them to keep trying, but after about another hour, they again said they could not render a verdict.
Afterward, one jury member who asked to remain anonymous told ESPN that only one of the six jurors wanted to convict Jones.
“The state case was very weak, mostly circumstantial, and they did not meet the burden beyond reasonable doubt,” the juror said.
Under Florida law, a mistrial means that prosecutors can try the case with a new jury, and a new trial must come within 90 days. Prosecutors did not immediately comment.
After jurors and the Pata family had left the courtroom, Jones and five members of his defense team held hands and huddled together as one of them spoke softly.
“He’s strong,” attorney Sara Alvarez said of Jones, who has been in jail since his 2021 arrest. “He has faith. He’s going to be OK.”
Alvarez said the defense will “certainly try” to introduce new evidence at a retrial. Miranda, who ruled against most defense motions regarding other…
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