State of Utah v. Sterrett Oney Neale

Date: 11-28-2025

Case Number:

Judge: Not Available

Court: Third District Court, Salt Lake County, Utah

Plaintiff's Attorney: Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office

Defendant's Attorney:

Description: Salt Lake City, Utah criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with seven counts of sex-related crimes committed against one of his students. The victim told investigators about a pattern of the abuse that began in March of 2017—when she was a seventeen-year-old student of the defendant—after a school-play that the victim participated in and the defendant directed. Initially, the defendant would have the victim come to his classroom—after school—where he would kiss and sexually abuse her. In August of 2017, the defendant began having the victim meet him in the parking lot of St. Mark’s Hospital where he would pick her up and drive her to his home while his wife was not there. He would pull into his garage, while making the victim duck down so no one would see her. He then would take her back to his bedroom and sexually abuse her. This pattern of abuse lasted for over a year before she turned 18 years old. “Our teachers are meant to protect and educate our children, not abuse them. We hope that this jury verdict helps the victim-survivor feel that she has received some justice, though perfect justice would mean this would have never happened to her. We believe this verdict demonstrates the accountability our community expects of our teachers, who we entrust with our children every day,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “I want to thank the prosecutors, Blake Royall and Brad Cooley, and our support staff, Anna Stoker and Natalie Houtz, for their dedication. I want to thank our social worker, Cami Heng, for her work with the victim-survivor throughout this difficult process. We appreciate the thorough investigation done by Salt Lake City Police.” Sam Gill

Outcome: A Third District Court jury found the defendant guilty of three counts of first-degree felony object rape, two counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy, and two counts of forcible sexual abuse.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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