Day 2 of the murder trial of University of Miami football player Bryan Pata saw testimony from former teammates and 911 calls played from that night in 2006. The calls brought out so much emotion that a woman had to step out after they were played in the courtroom.
Former UM football player Dave Howell was brought to tears when he recalled finding out in 2006 that his former teammate had been shot and killed.
Prosecutors charged his teammate at the time, Rashaun Jones, with murdering Pata 15 years after Pata’s death.
Howell and former teammate Eric Moncur testified about a fight between Pata and Jones in a dorm room in the summer of 2004.
“They tussled on the bed,” Howell said.
Moncur added what he says he heard Jones say after that fight.
“What did he say?” Howell was asked.
“Go ahead and clip up,” Moncur said.
“What did he mean by that?” Howell was asked.
“Get a gun,” Moncur said.
Howell testified about how he found out Jones had a gun while he was at UM, because he says Jones showed it to him in a dorm room. Police never found the weapon connected to Pata’s death.
“After you were slapped, boxing did Rashaun show you a gun?” Howell was asked.
“Yes, he did,” Howell said.
“Had you ever seen a gun before?” Howell was asked.
“No,” Howell said.
And the defense tried to paint Pata as the aggressor in the fight with Jones.
“Bryan Pata was the first one who made any physical contact in the altercation, correct?” asked Jones’ defense attorney
“Yes,” Howell responded.
Both sides questioned former teammates about whether Pata and Jones had a dispute over a woman they liked and whether that could play a role in Pata’s death.
The defense appeared to be signaling to the jury that the memory of these witnesses is blurry since they’re being asked to recall events that happened around 20 years ago. Many times during their testimony, the men would respond with “I don’t recall.”
