30 for 30 Podcasts – Murder at the U

Episode 5: Open and Active
Hosted by Paula Levine; Aired February 24, 2026

Episode Overview

In this penultimate episode, host Paula Levine and producer Dan Arruda investigate the evolving status of the Brian Pata murder case, exposing contradictions and shortcomings in the Miami-Dade Police Department’s investigation. The episode pivots from searching for Pata’s killer to examining how and why law enforcement failed the case—delving into informants, overlooked evidence, a mysterious jailhouse confession, and the legal wrangling over police transparency. It culminates in ESPN suing the Miami-Dade Police for access to case files, revealing critical truths about the suspect and investigative delays.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Informant, the Suspect, and Police Secrecy

• The Pata family was informed early on by a confidential police source that teammate Rashawn Jones was the suspected killer—an opinion echoed by police internally but denied externally.
  • “He always used to tell me… Rashawn Jones. He said he did it.” – Edwin Pata (00:53)
• For over a decade, the police kept Jones in their sights but made no arrest, withholding their suspicion from the public and media while maintaining to the family and informant that Jones was a focus.

2. Police Evasion and Flawed Investigation

• Reporters Paula and Dan repeatedly confronted lead Detective Miguel Dominguez about Jones’s status. Dominguez continually downplayed suspicion, stating Jones was no more a suspect than anyone else, contradicting the family’s and informant’s claims.
  • “At the time, everybody was a person of interest, but he was no more or less than anyone else at the time. No.” – Detective Miguel Dominguez (04:08)
• Investigation gaps surfaced: police failed to seize Brian Pata’s computer, underestimated the importance of social media in 2006, and did not pursue detailed phone or text records initially.
  • “We did not seize any computers.” – Det. Dominguez (06:34)
  • “I don't think social media back then... I don't think email was that rampant either.” – Det. Dominguez (07:03)
  • Levine counters: “Social media did exist in 2006, and Brian was on it.” (07:09)

3. Discrepancy Exposed by Case Files

• Upon receiving a heavily redacted police report via a public records request, the reporters found evidence of a separate lead: a jailhouse confession from Emmanuel Jones. But the police mistakenly ruled Emmanuel out based on his supposed incarceration at the time—then the reporting team discovered he was not in jail during the murder, countering the police’s alibi defense.
  • “Did you get taken into custody right at the time?” ... “No, no, no. I did. I was arrested later on.” – Emmanuel Jones (16:07)
• Further errors: Dominguez misremembered crime scene details (Pata’s car was actually parked nose-in, not backed in) and underrepresented the number of suspect interviews conducted.

4. Cold Case Foundation’s Review: What Should Have Been Done?

• Greg Cooper (ex-FBI, Cold Case Foundation) reviewed the case and found the investigation insufficient, noting that many potential witnesses and suspects hadn’t been fully vetted. He rated the original case as highly solvable—until time and poor police work complicated chances.
  • “I don't have the sense that it's excessive. It's excellent, that it's exhaustive and thorough.” – Greg Cooper (20:37)
  • “At the time, I think the possibilities of solvability were high, above average. Now it’s much more difficult because of… the passage of time.” – Cooper (21:25)

5. The ESPN Lawsuit: Chasing Police Accountability

• ESPN sued Miami-Dade PD to force the release of full records, initiating a virtual court case during the pandemic. Under oath, police admitted for the first time they’d had “a strong belief” about who killed Pata since 2007—directly contradicting their public and previous statements.
  • “MDPD know who killed Brian Potter?”
    “Yeah, we have a strong belief as to who’s responsible for his death.” – Lt. Joseph Zanconado (27:36)
• In court, evidence surfaced—due to a redaction error—that officially named Rashawn Jones as a suspect. Police attorneys attempted to withhold confirmation, but the judge confirmed its existence.
  • “This document identifies Rashawn Jones as a suspect, does it not, Lieutenant?”
    “It says suspect. Yes.” (31:12)
• Despite this, police insisted the investigation remained “active and open,” using this status to continue withholding files under Florida law, even though very little investigative work had been done for years.

6. Aftermath and Institutional Fallout

• After the case and testimonies, key detectives and supervisors either retired or were reassigned, just days or weeks after vowing under oath to continue the investigation.
  • “All these people who swore to actively pursue an arrest had just hightailed it off the case.” – Paula Levine (35:20)
• In November 2020, ESPN published a story revealing, for the first time to the public, that Rashawn Jones was the police’s longstanding suspect.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Pata family’s frustration:
  “It’s frustrating, yeah, because… you look at this guy’s page, you see he’s living his life.” – Edwin/Edric Pata (01:47)

• On police-media tension:
  “You guys are gonna have a lot more flexibility than us… you can go to anybody in that roster and talk to them however you want… Where the detective will bring them in… as soon as you tell them, can I get that formal statement from you? …They go, ‘nope, I don’t want to deal with this.’” – Alvaro Zabaleta, Miami-Dade press officer (10:46)

• On discovering police misinformation:
  “I think we would have been putting forward a story that was disingenuous and frankly not true. …Just for the fact that the police department clearly lied to us.” – Dan Arruda (33:00)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|--------------| | 00:53 | Family’s informant and revelation regarding Rashawn Jones as a suspect | | 04:08 | Detective Dominguez’s public denial of Jones as prime suspect | | 06:34–07:09| Police failings: not seizing computer, misunderstanding digital evidence | | 14:36–16:39| Interview with Emmanuel Jones, jailhouse confession, police error on alibi | | 17:23–18:09| Police getting basic crime scene facts wrong | | 20:37–21:25| Cold Case Foundation's critique of investigation | | 27:36 | Under oath, police confirm to judge having main suspect since 2007 | | 31:12 | Court evidence reveals Rashawn Jones officially as “suspect” | | 33:00 | Reporters realize police lied to them | | 35:13 | Key detectives retire or are reassigned immediately after testimony | | 36:42 | Tease for upcoming episode regarding potential impending arrest |

Tone and Takeaways

The episode is relentless in its pursuit of truth, exposing institutional evasiveness overshadowed by the determination of journalists and outside experts. There’s a palpable frustration in Paula Levine and Dan Arruda’s voices as they recount misleading police statements, neglected evidence, and the legal barriers set by vague “open and active” definitions. Yet, the episode ends with a rising sense of anticipation: after years of stagnation and secrecy, the possibility of an arrest now seems imminent.

Summary by 30 for 30 Podcast Summarizer. This episode is essential listening for true crime and investigative journalism fans—revealing not just the who and why, but probing deeper into the how and what-if of one of college football’s most troubling unsolved cases.