Former University of Arizona football player sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder

PHOENIX (AZFamily) – A former University of Arizona football player will spend decades behind bars for murder.

Former Wildcat cornerback DaVonte’ Neal was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for the 2017 death of Bryan T. Burns. Neal was charged with first-degree murder, hit-and-run shooting and discharging a firearm into a building. He faced up to 25 years in prison.

Emotional victim impact statements were read during the hearing, including one from Burns’ sister-in-law.

“…We are 100% sure that if you (Bryan) had not experienced this tragedy, we would all be living together or close to each other if you had moved. But that’s not the option you can have because DaVonte’ Neal took your life that night as if he had to,” read a speaker for Burns’ sister-in-law, who was not present at the hearing . “It is difficult to lose a loved one, no matter the circumstances. But losing Bryan to multiple shots, his passing game was unbearable for all of us.”

Neal was arrested in 2022 while he was an assistant football coach at Idaho State University. He was held at the Bannock County Jail in Pocatello, Idaho, before being extradited to Arizona.

Neal was born in Akron, Ohio and played college football at the U of A from 2013 to 2016. He was also a two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale.

Before moving to Arizona, he spent the 2012 season at the University of Notre Dame and coached at the high school and junior college levels.

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a recent news story? Send it to us here with a short description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.