Former New York Giants cornerback Bruce Johnson testified Thursday he never saw Rashaun Jones with a gun, wouldn’t characterize Jones as a bully and never witnessed Jones fighting with Bryan Pata prior to Pata’s murder.
About 20 years ago, Johnson, Jones and Pata played football together at the University of Miami.
Pata, a 22-year-old Hurricanes star defensive lineman expected to be a top NFL draft pick, was shot in the back of his head and killed on Nov. 7, 2006, outside his home at the Colony Apartments in Kendall. He had just returned from football practice.
Jones, 40, continued to stand trial on Thursday on a second-degree murder charge in front of Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda and nine jurors. Jones was arrested 15 years after his former teammate’s killing and has pleaded not guilty.
There was a rivalry between Jones and Pata over women and sports, prosecutors argued during opening statements this week. It is a case built on circumstantial evidence.
Johnson testified he grew up with Jones in Lake City, and they both went to play for the Canes.
It was hard to remember details from Nov. 7, 2006, according to Johnson, who added he did not want to testify and was forced to through subpoena. Johnson was on campus when he found out that Pata was killed, he said. He called several teammates, including Jones, to come to the university for a team meeting.
“Everybody was just shocked,” Johnson said.
Jones didn’t show to the meeting, Johnson said, but there might have been others who didn’t either. He couldn’t recall if Jones reached out to him later in the evening or what was said, and Johnson couldn’t identify his own phone number from the time in court records.
Michael Sanders testified he met Jones at UM, and they were also friends.
On the day of Pata’s murder, Jones called Sanders, who played baseball at UM, and asked for money, he testified. Sanders’ parents owned KFC franchises. He found the call odd given the circumstances and told a coach.
However, he couldn’t remember how much money Jones asked for, the words he used or why he needed it, Sanders said. He didn’t know where Jones lived or his financial situation.
“I don’t recall,” Sanders said.
Defense theory
Murder-for-hire theories have been raised. Jones’ defense team previously said they received information from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation involving a special agent who had intel from a confidential informant about a hitman and Haitian gang members related to Pata’s killing. In a separate incident, an ESPN investigation found that jail inmate Bernard Brinson said a fellow inmate told him he killed Pata for money.
If convicted, Jones would face a life sentence.
This story will be updated after this afternoon’s testimony.