Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Ryan Cody Davis expressed remorse for killing Todd Neely in a wrong-way crash in 2021.
- Davis, who pleaded guilty to automobile homicide, hopes to help others with addictions.
- The parole board will decide on Davis's parole or schedule another hearing.
SALT LAKE CITY — Ryan Cody Davis wants to help others with their personal struggles and do it in memory of the man he killed in a wrong-way crash, 29-year-old Todd David Neely.
"Todd Neely's mother was right when she said the wrong man died in this because I was the bad man and her son was the good man, and I don't understand why I'm here and he's not. Todd only did good things and I only made messes and start fires everywhere I went," he told the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole in tears on Tuesday. "I'll never be able to right that wrong, I know that. … It's impacted me for sure. I'll never be the same."
On Oct. 23, 2021, Davis was driving a Dodge Neon on I-80 near 7800 West near Magna "when he made an abrupt U-turn" and began heading east in the westbound lanes. Davis sideswiped a Subaru Crosstrek, causing the Subaru to roll several times into the cable barrier in the median, according to charging documents. Neely, of South Jordan, was declared dead at the scene.
In December 2023, Davis avoided trial by pleading guilty to automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, and in March 2024 was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison.
He was given credit for time served while incarcerated at the Salt Lake County Jail. On Tuesday, Davis, now 42, went before a member of the parole board for the first time. During the hourlong hearing, Davis was frequently emotional and said Neely's name several times as he recounted that day and what was happening in his life at the time.
A blood test following the crash revealed both trazodone and bupropion in Davis' system, and he admitted to taking trazadone pills, a sedative typically used to treat depression, hours before the crash. But on Tuesday, Davis said he had prescriptions for all of those drugs and was not taking them recreationally. He admitted he had battled meth and alcohol addiction in the past but claims he was 10 days sober at that time.
"I was homeless, I was living out of my car," he said Tuesday.
Davis said he had found a job where he was paid in cash each day to help lay turf. But because of insomnia, and what little sleep he did get was in his car, "pure exhaustion is what led up to the accident."
"I fell asleep at the wheel," he said, while adding that he believes it was an overall "lack of self-care" and not recreational drug use that led to the crash.
"It was because I was exhausting myself," Davis said.
When he woke right before the crash, he says he initially thought the other vehicle was traveling the wrong way before he realized he was in the wrong.
Davis says he chose not to speak at his sentencing hearing, explaining, "I felt that anything I would have said would have been taken out of context."
Today, Davis says he has a new appreciation for life and believes his life was spared to serve a higher purpose.
"I feel like I'm living for Todd Neely, as well," he said.
Davis, who has not had a disciplinary violation while incarcerated, wants to help others with drug addictions when he is released and hopes to use his story and experiences to connect with those who are struggling themselves either with addiction or homelessness.
Davis, who started drinking at age 12, says before the crash, he used drugs and alcohol as a way to deal with his insomnia, anxiety disorder and bipolar issues.
"I don't feel the need to become inebriated," he said of his current state of mind. "I can look myself in the mirror now, and I like that person" — something Davis said hasn't always been the case.
When asked if he had any words for Neely's family, Davis said, "My prayer is that they'll be able to forgive me," he said. "(It was) just a horrible horrible thing that I can never take back."
None of Neely's family members spoke at the hearing, although it appeared one of his brothers was watching the hearing via Zoom and virtually raised his hand wishing to speak, but the board appeared to not see him.
The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole or set another hearing for a future date.
