DaVonte’ Neal: Former U of A football player to serve decades behind bars for murder
Former U of A football player sentenced for murder
Davonte' Neal, who used to play football for University of Arizona, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering another man in 2017. The shooting, which killed a man named Bryan Burns, happened in 2017 along the I-10 near Sky Harbor, but Neal was not indicted until approximately three years later.
PHOENIX - DaVonte’ Neal, a former college football player at the University of Arizona, will serve 20 years in prison in connection with a man's murder.
Neal's sentence was handed down by a judge on the morning of Oct. 4. In early September, Neal pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the murder of Bryan Burns.
The shooting happened along Interstate 10 south of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Neal was indicted by a grand jury in May 2022 in connection to the shooting. At the time of his indictment, Neal served as an assistant coach on the Idaho State football team.
Neal played high school football in Scottsdale at Chaparral High. He worked as an assistant coach at Higley High School in Gilbert before joining the Idaho State program.