Lester Holt

Hi, Jay.

Thanks for coming on.

Thanks for having me, Lester.

So, Jay, before we get into the drama that's going on inside the courtroom, let's rewind a little bit and talk about Brian Petta.

For people who don't follow college football, remind us what a big deal he was both on and off the field.

He was raised here in Miami.

He was one of nine kids, the youngest.

For the most part, he was raised by a single parent, his mother, Jeanette Pata.

He had a bigger than life personality and he was talented.

Being a defensive lineman for the University of Miami Hurricanes, that's huge.

Everyone knew he was destined to play in the NFL.

So what do we know about the night Brian was murdered?

Brian was heading home from practice that night.

It was about 7 p.m., and he got out of his car and then was shot in the back of the head.

His girlfriend, Jada Brody, discovered Brian on the ground, unresponsive and bleeding on a walkway near his car.

Jay, in those early days of the investigation, police had a lot of leads to look into, didn't they?

They did.

Police interviewed more than 100 people in this case, but all that work ultimately led to no arrests as the time ticked by.

Years passed.

Brian Pata's family pleaded for tips at a press conference held by police in 2017.