Lester Holt

Then, he said, he saw a man walking briskly past him.

He later identified that man as Rashawn Jones in a photo lineup.

An eyewitness, that sounds like a big break.

So, presumably, that person is a key witness for the prosecution at the trial.

Well, interestingly, that eyewitness is now in his 80s, and he doesn't remember the details of the case all that well.

The judge isn't going to allow him to testify, but she will allow the prosecution to introduce a video of his testimony that was taken a few years ago, back in 2022, at a pretrial hearing.

How's that going over with the defense?

Well, honestly, they're not happy about it.

They want an opportunity to cross-examine the eyewitness in front of a jury.

But they won't have that opportunity.

It's interesting that before trial, Rashawn Jones rejected what many would say was a pretty sweet deal.

Yeah, he did.

Prosecutors offered him a 15-year sentence.

And considering he had been behind bars for five, that would mean he would serve 10 years.

But he turned down that plea offer, saying, "'Dismissal is the only thing I'm willing to accept.

Deep down in my heart, I know I'm innocent.'"

So take us deeper inside the courtroom.

At the start of the trial, what was the atmosphere like?

Well, it was really somber.

We had the Pata family sitting on one side of the courtroom, all eight siblings, friends, and, of course, his mother, Jeanette Pata, sitting in a wheelchair.