Vol. 100, Issue 11
Mar. 4, 2026 - Mar. 17, 2026
Bryan Pata murder trial nears end after almost 20 years
Courtesy of TMH Staff, c. 2005
Courtesy of Layla Fessler Rashaun Jones listens during his trial for the murder of his former of his former teammate, Bryan Pata, at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building on Feb. 24, 2026, in Miami.
By Madison Block & Ariana Glaser Copy Chief & Staff Writer
Jurors failed to reach a verdict in the case for 40-year-old Rashaun Jones in the murder trial of former UM football player Bryan Pata who was killed in 2006. According to ESPN, only one juror voted to convict Jones while the rest of the jury believed he could not be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. After nearly six hours of deliberation on Thursday, Feb. 26, and additional time on Monday, March 2, Judge Cristina Miranda declared a mistrial which voids the proceedings and resets the case to its pre-trial status. Early Monday morning, jurors told the judge they were deadlocked, meaning they were unable to reach a verdict. Miranda urged them to try again, but after an hour of further discussion, the jurors still could not reach a verdict. The Pata family continues to seek answers amidst a possible new trial. “I’m disappointed. It’s frustrating, really for all of us,” said Pata’s brother, Edwin Pata, to WPLG 10. Edwin Pata was previously an assistant offensive lineman coach for UM. “…It’s just some kind of closure for us, but we’re going to remain steadfast and it’s clearer now who’s responsible for this.” Jones faced a second-degree murder charge and is expected to be tried again. Under Florida law, prosecutors
can try the case with a new jury, although the new trial must come within 90 days. According to The Miami Herald, Jones will possibly be tried again, and Miranda has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning. Pata, 22 at the time, was shot outside of his Kendall apartment following football practice. He was found in a pool of blood next to his apartment in November of 2006. No arrests were made until 15 years later when prosecutors arrested Jones on August 19, 2021. ESPN had sued the Miami-Dade Police Department in 2020, requesting access to the unredacted case records in the investigation. According to ESPN, the department had said “publicly for years they had no prime suspect and no single person of interest.” ESPN then published “Death at The U: Who killed Bryan Pata?” on Nov. 6, 2020, that included new information about the case, even naming Jones who had previously dated Pata’s girlfriend at the time, Jada Brody. Jones was arrested about nine months later. “Brody dated a few football players before Pata, including one of his Miami teammates, Rashaun Jones, who’d found himself on the wrong end of two lopsided fights with Pata,” according to the article. Jones maintained his innocence throughout the trial proceedings, declining a pre-trial plea deal of 15 years in prison with credit for time served. Eyewitness Paul Conner, a former UM professor, appeared via recorded testimony after the state ruled he was no longer mentally capable of
Hurricane lineman and senior Bryan Pata, before a game in the 2005 season. testifying in person. Connor said he was “90% certain” he saw Jones leaving Pata’s residence after hearing a gunshot. He also picked Jones out of two six-image photo lineups, first in 2007 and again in 2020, the first time being seven months after Conner’s alleged encounter. But, defense attorney Christian Maroni pointed out what he believed to be “shortcomings” in the credibility of Conner’s testimony, highlighting that it was dark when Conner passed the alleged killer, and that he had imperfect vision and “didn’t know whether he had his glasses at the time.” The case was based heavily on circumstantial evidence presented by the prosecution, relying on inference and logic to connect facts opposed to direct evidence, such as a confession or eyewitness testimony. This evidence included Jones’ previous interactions with Pata and phone records from the night of the murder. Prosecutors argued that jealousy drove Jones to kill Pata. Jurors also heard testimony from a former UM department compliance officer, now-retired Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Emma Lew and several of Pata’s teammates including Dwayne Hendricks, Dave Howell and Eric Moner. The jury was also asked to review the bullet retrieved from Pata’s body. In its closing statements, the defense argued that the evidence presented was not strong enough to result in Jones’ conviction. “There is no way the jury could find that Mr. Jones committed this crime be-
yond a reasonable doubt,” said defense attorney Sara Alvarez. The defense expressed to the Judge that the state alongside the Miami-Dade Police Department failed to investigate several other leads, including information from ESPN’s investigation that highlights possible gang involvement. The defense shed light on a recent interview they discovered on March 2 with an alleged gang member who provided information related to Pata’s death. “...no officer sufficiently investigated this and no gang members have been interviewed,” said defense attorney Christian Maroni. “This is the first time a gang member has been interviewed in connection to this case…” Maroni told the judge the member provided information about Pata calling him and allegedly asking for protection from other gang members. The defense engaged in a deposition on March 2, during a short break with a federal agent providing information of the gang involvement, providing sworn out-of-court testimony. “We just want to make the record clear that we were in no way insinuating that Bryan Pata was part of a gang…was a gang member,” the defense said. According to ESPN, Judge Miranda did not allow evidence regarding the “other possible theories and Pata’s other possible interpersonal conflicts” to make it to trial, ruling to keep out any testimony from hearing from the ESPN 2020 lawsuit. Alvarez said the defense will “certainly try” to introduce new evidence in a new trial where Miranda will preside.
Is UM becoming ‘Influencer U?’ By Casey Servatius Staff Writer The University of Miami’s growing social media presence has prompted students to nickname the school “Influencer U.” According to a survey conducted by The Miami Hurricane, 78.8% of 66 student respondents said they believe the public views UM as an influencer-focused university. The survey was posted to The Hurricane’s Instagram story for 48 hours. Anna Becker, a junior majoring in health sciences, said she has noticed the growing popularity of TikTok around
“Sometimes by the dorms or walking to classes I’ll see people filming TikToks.” Anna Becker UM Junior
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campus during her time at the U. “Sometimes by the dorms or walking to classes I’ll see people filming TikToks,” Becker said. “People post everything from Get Ready With Me’s, to day-in-the-life vlogs and dance videos with friends.” One of the most notable examples is Alix Earle, who graduated from UM in 2023 and now has 8.3 million followers on TikTok and 5.5 million followers on Instagram. According to Parade and Celebrity Net Worth, Earle is now worth $20 million. Her viral videos during her junior year helped launch what many viewers refer to as the “Alix Earle Effect.” Other influencers have grown large followings during their time at UM, turning social media into their career. Abby Gendell, a creator with 529,400 followers on TikTok, graduated from UM in 2024. She now works in New York City as a content creator thanks to her success on TikTok and Instagram. “When I moved to New York, I continued growing, and a lot of people who followed me in college stayed,” Gendell said. “I figured if I could build my own brand, I could do that for a company someday, and if I ever applied for a marketing role, I could point to my platform.” Current students at UM are also finding success online, building a following that allows them to secure brand deals and receive PR packages. Claire Mellin, a sophomore majoring in advertising management, has worked with brands like Edikted and Princess Polly. “Most of my opportunities have come through Instagram, usually through brand outreach,” Mellin said. “My audience aligns with
NEWS | PAGE 2
The ‘For U’ student government ticket secures 2026 election win
Courtesy of Eva Free Eva Free, a sophomore, is featured in a Tarte photo shoot during the brand’s “Trippin’ With Tarte” event in Key Largo in April 2025.
Courtesy of Claire Mellin Sophomore Claire Mellin attends a dinner at Sexy Fish in Miami hosted by Edikted in November 2025 to celebrate the grand opening of their new store in Aventura Mall. the college-aged demographic that many brands target.” Hosting brand trips is another way that popular brands connect with their audience. Some students had the op-
OPINION | PAGE 4
A&E | PAGE 5
portunity to attend “Trippin’ With Tarte,” an influencer brand trip hosted by well-known makeup brand Tarte, in Key Largo in April of 2025. Eva Free, a sophomore majoring SPORTS | PAGE 6
David Lebowitz// Photo Editor Fernando Sepulveda Sagaseta embraces his campaign team member Alfredo Briceno on February 19, 2026 at Lakeside Patio.
By Hannah Valdivia & Vivian Amoia Co- Breaking News Editors The “For U” student government ticket won the 2026 Student Government executive election over the UNITED ticket on Thursday, Feb. 19, at Lakeside Patio. Junior Fernando Sepulveda Sagaseta was announced as president-elect along with his running mates junior Aaron Gonzales as vice-president elect and junior Dylan Hall as treasurer elect for the 2026-2027 academic year. A total of 3,099 students voted in the 2026 election. Hall was announced as treasurer after receiving 50.51% of 3,080 student votes. Gonzales received 50.76% of 3,081 votes. Sepulveda Sagasta won with the largest margin, receiving 51.94% of 3,082 votes. Sepulveda Sagaseta expressed his excitement about every member of the For U ticket winning their respective roles, saying that it would help them accomplish their goals more easily. “I can’t believe the whole ticket won. We’re super happy,” said Sepulveda Sagaseta. “I mean, that’s honestly what we were hoping for. Like, we ran on a clear vision and I think having the whole ticket together is going to allow us to hit the ground running and start getting our initiatives accomplished.” Hall expressed similar excitement, especially given how close the race was. “It was close. I knew it was going to be close,” Hall said. “I’m very happy with how things turned out and I just want to wish everyone congratulations. It’s been a hard week and half but I’m so proud of everyone for doing it.” On Instagram, the For U campaign targeted three main areas of student experience at UM: academics, community and student life. “We want to make this place the best it can be,” said Sepulveda Sagaseta. “We ran our campaign as being ‘for you’ and ‘U being back’ and our sports teams are playing their part and now, hopefully student government is too.” Gonzales also shared his drive to get started right away. “Now it’s time for the real work,” Gonzales said. “I am still continuing in my role as director of university affairs for the current year, and am excited to get a jump start on our campaign’s initiatives before inauguration even happens in that role.” Keira Faddis contributed to the reporting for this article. in public relations and psychology, attended the trip through a personal connection with Tarte CEO Maureen Kelly’s son, who is a UM student. “There were a few other UM girls besides my friends and I, maybe three or four,” Free said. “I think that being at UMiami exposes you to these kinds of experiences even if you aren’t directly trying to get them.” Some classes even require students to make TikTok or Instagram accounts for projects, imitating real-world experiences where social media is used in everyday business practices. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 V’S TAKE | PAGE 8