Crime & Safety
Man Convicted Of 2018 Tempe Murder Of ASU Hoops Star's Brother
Dantreil Griffin was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Wanyaa Stewart, younger brother of former Sun Devil Zylan Cheatham.
TEMPE, AZ —A Maricopa County grand jury on Tuesday convicted a man of murder in connection with a 2018 shooting at a Tempe gas station, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Dantreil Griffin, 28, was found guilty on all four charges, including first-degree murder, for the shooting death of Wanyaa Stewart, 22, who was the younger brother of then Arizona State basketball player Zylan Cheatham.
Griffin also was convicted of assisting a criminal street gang, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm within Tempe city limits, according to Maricopa County Superior Court records.
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The Arizona Republic reported that on Dec. 29, 2018, Stewart was putting air in a flat tire at a gas station at Baseline Road and Mill Avenue when he was shot and killed. The newspaper reported that Stewart and Griffin had a history of conflicts with one another.
According to a Probable Cause statement from police, Griffin fled the scene in a vehicle driven by another man.
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Griffin was arrested in January 2019 in the Laveen area of Phoenix, according to the Arizona Republic. In February 2019, Corey Winston Jr. was arrested by Tempe police in connection with the case, the Arizona Republic reported.
Griffin still awaits sentencing after his conviction, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
After the 2018 murder, Cheatham tweeted a tribute to his late brother.
"Rest Easy baby bro, I promise you gone live through me. Can't believe you really gone but I gotta keep pushing ckuhz I know you know would want me to. The memories we made will last forever and I know you watching over me...#LongLiveTK," Cheatham wrote.
Cheatham, who attended South Mountain High School in Phoenix, played one season at Arizona State (2018-19) after transferring from San Diego State. During that campaign, he averaged 12.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and was named First Team All-Pac-12.
Cheatham has gone on to play five games in the NBA with New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz.
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