The former Miami Hurricanes player is awaiting a second trial in the 2006 killing of teammate Bryan Pata.
MIAMI, FL — Former University of Miami football player Rashaun Jones, jailed while awaiting retrial in the killing of teammate Bryan Pata, is facing a new felony drug charge tied to alleged contraband found at a Miami-Dade jail in 2024.
Jones, 40, appeared in bond court Wednesday after prosecutors filed the new case more than two years after the alleged jail incident. The charge adds another legal issue for Jones as he prepares for a second murder trial in one of South Florida’s most closely watched sports crime cases. Jones has been accused of killing Pata, a standout Hurricanes defensive lineman, outside a Kendall apartment complex on Nov. 7, 2006.
The new case stems from a March 27, 2024, incident at Metro West Detention Center, where Jones was being held while awaiting his first murder trial. According to an arrest form, a detective with the then-Miami-Dade Police Department went to the jail after contraband was reported. A K-9 officer told the detective that a half-sheet of paper and 17 individually torn sheets suspected of containing K-2 were found on Jones. Defense attorney Joshua Cramer said Jones’ legal team had just learned about the allegations. “Even though these allegations are from March 2024, over two years ago, we are just learning about this,” Cramer said.
The arrest form said the half-sheet of paper was found in Jones’ shirt sleeve and the torn pieces were found in his waistband. A crime lab test later showed the paper tested positive for ADB-BUTINACA, a compound found in synthetic marijuana. County court records list the new accusation as a third-degree felony involving introduction, possession or control of a controlled substance in a jail or correctional facility. The judge set bond at $2,500 on the drug case. Jones remained in custody Wednesday, with the murder case still pending. Officials have not said why the new charge was filed this month when the alleged contraband incident happened in 2024.
The drug case comes after a mistrial in Jones’ first murder trial earlier this year. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cristina Miranda declared a mistrial March 2 after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict. Jones was charged in 2021 with second-degree murder, nearly 15 years after Pata was shot and killed. Pata, 22, had just left football practice and was found outside his apartment near a parking lot in Kendall. He was widely viewed as a strong NFL prospect and had been a senior defensive lineman for the Hurricanes. Jones has denied killing him, and his defense has argued that the state’s case is built largely on circumstantial evidence.
Prosecutors moved quickly after the mistrial to seek another trial. Miranda first set jury selection for May 18 and reduced Jones’ bond in the murder case from $850,000 to $500,000. That retrial was later delayed after defense lawyers filed motions tied to newly raised issues in the case, including questions involving police work, a former prosecutor and the planned use of a jailhouse informant. The retrial was moved to September. Jones has been jailed since 2021, and court records show Miranda is assigned to the new drug case as well as the murder proceedings. No plea has been entered in the new case in the public reports reviewed Wednesday.
Pata’s killing has remained a painful case for his family and for many who followed the Hurricanes program. At the time of his death, Pata was a Miami native and one of the team’s top defensive players. His death came during the college football season and drew national attention because of his NFL hopes and because he was killed just hours after practice. After the mistrial, Pata’s brother Edwin Pata said the family still wanted closure. Jones’ lawyers have said their client had nothing to do with the shooting. The defense has also challenged parts of the investigation as the case moved toward a second trial.
The new drug charge is separate from the murder case, but it arrives as both sides prepare for the next major courtroom phase. Jones’ lawyer said the defense would review the allegations once more information is provided. The murder retrial remains the central case against Jones, while the jail contraband charge is expected to move through its own court process. The next major milestone is the scheduled September retrial in Pata’s killing, unless the court changes that date.
Author note: Last updated June 25, 2026.