Ex-University of Arizona football player pleads guilty to murder
11 October 2014: Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Davonte Neal #19 runs upfield during the first half of the Pac-12 college football game between the USC Trojans and the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. The USC Trojans beat the A
PHOENIX - DaVonte’ Neal, a former college football player at the University of Arizona, pleaded guilty to murder in connection to the shooting death of a man in Phoenix.
Neal pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 2017 shooting of Bryan Burns, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Superior Court confirmed. Neal is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4.
The shooting happened along Interstate 10 south of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the shooting, but said they were unable to release any further information on the case.
Neal was indicted by a grand jury in May 2022 in connection to the shooting.
Ex-Arizona football player, Higley High School coach accused of murder
DaVonte' Neal has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of drive-by-shooting, and one count of discharging a firearm at a structure in the 2017 death of Bryan T. Burns in Phoenix.
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.