MIAMI — Closing arguments came in on Wednesday, on day five of the trial of ex-University of Miami football player Rashaun Jones.
That case will soon be in the hands of the jury after jurors heard testimony today about Jones’s cell phone records and what the medical examiner found inside the body of teammate Bryan Pata.
Jones’ defense team was giving closing arguments Wednesday evening after prosecutors made theirs; prosecutors will then have a chance for a rebuttal.
The 40-year-old Jones declined to testify and his defense team did not call any witnesses before resting its case.
Prosecutor Cristina Diamond said in the state’s closing argument that Pata “had everything going for him” before he was killed.
“On Nov. 7 of 2006, that dream ended because of the jealousy of this man over here, the defendant, Rashaun Jones,” Diamond told jurors.
Meanwhile, defense attorney Christian Maroni argued that “the government has tried to take innocent facts, facts that do not equal murder and build it up and turn it into something that it was not.”
Prior to closing arguments, Dr. Emma Lew, the former chief medical examiner for Miami-Dade County, testified that Pata died of a gunshot wound to the head.
“The manner of death was homicide,” she testified.
Sgt. Sergio Cremisini, of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office homicide unit, also testified.
Cremisini testified that he analyzed Jones’ cell phone records and found his phone deviated from its usual cell sites and connected to a cell tower near Pata’s apartment three times on the day of the murder.
“Given that tower 142 is so close, then I would expect someone who’s at the crime scene to connect to tower 142,” Cremisini testified.
Maroni grilled Cremisini on cross-examination.
“You can’t testify at all ― you have no knowledge ― none of this information that you’ve testified about sheds any light on where Mr. Jones’ phone was at the time the homicide occurred, correct?" Maroni asked.
Cremisini replied, “Yes, that’s correct.”
Jones, who is facing a second-degree murder charge, could spend up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
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