MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A former University of Arizona football player has pleaded guilty to killing a 25-year-old man in 2017.
Davonte Neal, who had been an assistant coach at Idaho State University before he was charged in 2022, pleaded guilty last week in Maricopa County Superior Court to one count of second-degree murder, court records show.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: Ex jugador de fútbol americano de la Universidad de Arizona se declara culpable de un asesinato cometido en el 2017
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 4. Neal is expected to serve between 20 and 25 years in prison, according to the terms of his plea agreement.
The victim, Bryan Burns, was fatally shot in November 2017 after his car was sideswiped near Interstate 10 and Elliot Road in Phoenix.
Court records indicate Neal, 31, may have been jealous that Burns was in a relationship with his daughter's mother.
Neal played football at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale before playing for the Arizona Wildcats.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
