A major development has emerged in the long-delayed trial of former Miami Hurricanes football player Bryan Pata’s 2006 murder after ESPN located a witness that Florida prosecutors had told the court was deceased, as reported by The New York Post.

The witness, Paul Conner, was found living in Louisville, Kentucky, in August when ESPN reporters knocked on his door. Conner, 81, lived in the apartment complex where Pata was shot and killed and had previously identified former teammate Rashaun Jones as a suspect.

Conner told police at the time of the shooting that he heard a “pop” and saw someone “jogging” away from the scene. On multiple occasions, he picked Jones out of a lineup. His testimony had been considered critical to the state’s case.

As recently as July, however, prosecutors told Florida 11th Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda that Conner was dead. The state attorney’s office explained that they relied on public database information that “seemed to indicate” he had passed away.

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Officials said they requested Louisville police check on him at the same address where ESPN later located him, but records show no follow-up occurred.

“Is there an impact of that on the case? I would have to say yes, potentially,” Ed Griffith, spokesperson for the state attorney’s office, told ESPN.

Jones, 40, has pleaded not guilty in the case, which has been plagued by delays. His trial is scheduled to begin October 6. His attorney, Sara Alvarez, criticized the state’s handling of the witness issue.

“I’m not shocked, but appalled,” Alvarez told ESPN.

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“This is a bigger issue. This is just blatant lies. Bald-faced lies. It’s a shame and it’s disgusting that you would be willing to send a man to prison for the rest of his life without any evidence and then not be honest about what evidence exists and doesn’t exist.”

Conner, now elderly, said he is unsure how much he can help moving forward. “I’m getting up in years. My memory comes and goes. How long ago was this court case?” he said.

Conner’s prior testimony was central to a March 2022 bond hearing in which Judge Miranda granted Jones an $850,000 bail. Jones has not been able to post the required amount and has remained in custody for four years.

Other testimony in the case included accounts of repeated disputes between Pata and Jones, as well as allegations that Jones owned a firearm similar to the weapon believed to have been used in the killing.

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The case has been marked by problems since the outset, including a nine-month delay before police arrested Jones despite him being an early suspect, the lack of a recovered murder weapon, and numerous court delays and attorney changes.

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