Witness in 2006 Miami murder case found alive

Florida prosecutors person repeatedly told a tribunal that a cardinal witnesser successful their execution lawsuit against a erstwhile Miami Hurricanes shot subordinate accused successful the 2006 sidesplitting of teammate Bryan Pata was dead.

However, with the long-delayed execution proceedings of Rashaun Jones lone weeks from its scheduled commencement successful Miami, ESPN reporters knocked connected an flat doorway successful Louisville, Kentucky, precocious and recovered the witness, Paul Conner, precise overmuch alive.

Conner told ESPN helium wasn't alert anyone from Miami had been looking for him and said helium seldom leaves his apartment.

Prosecutors told Florida 11th Circuit Court Judge Cristina Miranda arsenic precocious arsenic July that Conner was dead. A spokesperson for the authorities attorney's office, Ed Griffith, told ESPN connected Thursday that constabulary relied connected a nationalist database that "seemed to indicate" Conner was deceased, and that constabulary asked officers successful Louisville to sound connected Conner's door. He offered nary documents of specified a sojourn nor details of erstwhile an serviceman visited oregon what happened.

Griffith besides pressed a newsman for the code ESPN visited -- the aforesaid code that was listed connected the database study Griffith cited. The pb detective successful the case, Juan Segovia, besides texted an ESPN newsman asking for Conner's interaction information.

It's unclear however the revelation astir Conner volition impact the trial, presently acceptable to commencement Oct. 6. "Is determination an interaction of that connected the case? I would person to accidental yes, potentially," Griffith said.

Jones' attorney, Sara Alvarez, said ESPN's uncovering raises further questions astir the state's case.

"I'm not shocked, but appalled," she said by telephone Thursday. "This is simply a bigger issue. This is conscionable blatant lies. Bald-faced lies.

"It's a shame and it's disgusting that you would beryllium consenting to nonstop a antheral to situation for the remainder of his beingness without immoderate grounds and past not beryllium honorable astir what grounds exists and doesn't exist."

In a speech with an ESPN newsman and successful questioning by police, Jones has said helium did not termination Pata. He has pleaded not guilty.

Conner, a retired University of Miami penning instructor, erstwhile lived successful the flat analyzable wherever Pata, a apt precocious draught prime successful the 2007 NFL draft, was changeable erstwhile successful the caput successful November 2006.

Conner contacted constabulary soon aft the shooting, saying helium heard a "pop" and saw idiosyncratic "jogging" distant from the parking batch entranceway adjacent wherever Pata was shot. Conner picked Jones retired of a photograph lineup.

Some 13 years later, Conner was reinterviewed successful 2020 and again picked Jones retired of a lineup, according to Jones' apprehension warrant. And Conner recounted what helium saw astatine a 2022 enslaved proceeding and successful a 2023 deposition with attorneys.

Conner, present 81, told ESPN successful his Aug. 25 interrogation that helium present doesn't callback what happened successful Miami, and helium seemed unfamiliar with his anterior statements.

"I'm getting up successful years," helium said. "My representation comes and goes. How agelong agone was this tribunal case?"

With Jones' proceedings day looming, Miami adjunct authorities lawyer Cristina Diamond told Miranda successful a July 17 proceeding that officials believed Conner to beryllium dormant aft aggregate failed attempts to interaction him and a third-party commercialized database indicated helium was deceased. Miranda accepted the efforts to find Conner and ruled to let his anterior grounds from the proceeding and deposition to beryllium utilized astatine trial. Jones' attorneys had initially objected connected grounds of their inability to cross-examine his statements but conceded to judge the state's grounds during that hearing.

ESPN's interrogation with Conner was really the 2nd confirmation that helium was alive. After a newsman contacted Conner's past known employer, a erstwhile workfellow asked Louisville constabulary to behaviour a payment check. On July 22, Conner answered and confirmed his identity, according to constabulary bodycam images reviewed by ESPN.

The Miami-Dade Police Department's inability to find Conner is the latest successful a agelong drawstring of authoritative missteps that person dramatically prolonged the lawsuit and frustrated Pata's still-grieving family. According to accusation obtained by ESPN done a suit against Miami-Dade Police and different interviews and records, Jones was among the archetypal suspects considered by police, but they didn't arrest him until 2021, 9 months aft ESPN archetypal published its findings. Jones, present 40, has remained successful custody for the past 4 years amid tribunal delays and changes successful attorneys connected some sides.

In March 2022, Miranda agreed to grant...