Murder at The U

In 2006, Bryan Pata was a senior defensive tackle for the University of Miami with a bright future ahead of him. The NFL was right around the corner, and he was months away from being able to buy his mom a house. Instead, one night in early November, Bryan was shot dead outside his apartment complex coming home from practice.   From 30 for 30 Podcasts, Murder at The U tells the story of the shocking, high-profile murder investigation that rocked the college football world and what happened when a team of ESPN reporters brought that investigation into the light.   Who killed Bryan Pata? Twenty years later, someone is finally on trial. First two episodes drop Thursday, 2/12. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2006, Bryan Pata – a football star at the  University of Miami – was shot and killed outside his apartment. The death of a high-profile player from a major college football program was big news, but it didn’t lead to an arrest.  But more than a decade later, the case found its way to a team of ESPN reporters.  What they found was an exasperated family desperate for answers, a murder investigation that appeared to be cold (even though the police said it wasn’t), a legendary football program with a wild reputation in a tailspin, and a side to Bryan he didn’t want people to know about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN Investigative Reporter Paula Lavigne and the team take a closer look at The Miami Hurricanes’ 2006 season, including the events that led to Bryan’s murder.  They find a team beset by violence: from a player who was shot by an intruder in the preseason, to a brawl that colored Miami’s performance for the rest of the season. But what, if any, did these events have to do with Bryan’s murder? Next episode coming Tuesday, February 17th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paula and the reporting team begin asking who would have wanted Bryan dead, only to discover a long list of possible suspects.  As the team starts to chase down leads, Bryan’s world outside of football – fixing up classic cars, getting into fights at clubs, and living like a local celebrity– comes into focus.  But as certain details crystallize, more questions arise around the information that led the police to eventually make an arrest.  Next episode coming Thursday, February 19th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The night of Bryan’s murder, one other player failed to show up for the mandatory team meeting. From there, rumors began to swirl. Could that teammate have killed Bryan?  His family seems to think so, but some coaches and players aren’t so sure. Over ten years later, Paula and the team dig into the mountain of circumstantial evidence pointing the police towards Rashaun Jones.  But with no physical evidence linking Rashaun to the crime, the team begins to wonder: is Rashaun guilty or did he fall victim to an unfortunate set of circumstances?  Next episode coming Tuesday, February 24th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dozen years after Bryan’s murder, the Pata family is frustrated. No arrests have been made, and yet the police say the case is far from cold.  Meanwhile, relations between the detectives and our team of ESPN reporters have grown strained. That’s when the team takes matters into their own hands, suing the Miami-Dade police to force the release of unredacted case files.  Next episode coming Thursday, February 26th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After ESPN publishes an explosive article on the Miami-Dade police investigation’s shortcomings, the police arrest Rashaun Jones for Bryan’s murder.  Soon after, they get a lucky break: a person in the same jail as Rashau ntells them exactly what they want to hear. But there seems to be more to his testimony than what is presented.  Meanwhile, Rashaun sits in jail for  years, awaiting trial. But his day in court is finally coming.  We’ll be back with the final episode of Murder at The U when The State of Florida v. Rashaun Jones wraps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The State of Florida v. Rashaun Jones gets underway but nothing goes according to plan.  After the trial, a juror talks and Paula learns what happened inside a heated deliberation room.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices