The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man who killed replacement pitcher Shotkoski going free
Convict has been in and out prisons for more than 20 years. Fried has less than his best outing
By Alexis Stevens
Twenty-five years and five months after he murdered a young father seeking a spot on the Atlanta Braves roster, Neal Douglas Evans is about to be a free man. Again.
Evans, now 55, was previously released from prison after serving 17 years for killing Dave Shotkoski. But Evans was free only a few weeks before he was returned to a Florida prison. And again he was released, only to be arrested again and returned to prison, Department of Corrections records show. He is scheduled to be released today.
“I want him to have to live with this rest of his life. I don’t want him to forget,” Felicia Shotkoski, Dave’s widow, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Here’s a person who was given the chance to not be incarcerated and re-offended, and now he’s being given another opportunity.”
On March 24, 1995, Evans shot and killed Dave Shotkoski in West Palm Beach during spring training. Shotkoski had already been a major-league pitcher, but he was again trying to make a roster as a replacement player during the strike that had ended the 1994 season. As Shotkoski returned to his hotel after dinner, Evans shot him in what investigators initially said was a robbery attempt. Shotkoski ran about 200 yards before he collapsed and died. He was 30.
A teammate, Terry Blocker, had just faced Shotkoski on the mound in a team scrimmage that day. He didn’t know Shotkoski well, but hearing of the death shook him, and Blocker set out to find the person responsible.
Blocker went to an area of town he knew wasn’t the safest, but he got the information he needed to lead police to arrest Evans. The next day, he was cut from the Braves team and his baseball career was over, but Blocker was at peace, he told The AJC in a March interview.
“I figured I had done what I was supposed to have done,” Blocker said. “It didn’t bother me at all. I had tears in my eyes because I felt sorry for his family.”
In September 1996, the first trial for Evans ended with a hung jury. Had he been convicted, Evans could have faced the death penalty, according to media reports. By then, Evans had already served five separate prison sentences for burglary, theft and drugs, records show.
Months later, Evans accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 27 years in prison, but served 17. He was released in April 2012, but was back in prison that December, according to the Florida DOC. After being released again briefly in 2018, Evans was back behind bars that July.
Last week, Felicia Shotkoski was notified that her husband’s killer would again be free. She and the couple’s daughter, now 26, have a close-knit bond, though every day is impacted by Shotkoski’s death. His death — and the numerous chances given to his killer — highlight the flaws of the criminal justice system, she says.
“I just hope to bring change or start a discussion that something has to be done because it keeps happening to others,” Shotkoski said.
The Braves’ undefeated run with Max Fried on the mound ended Saturday. It was the Braves’ second consecutive loss following a fivegame winning streak.
The details
For the second night in a row, the final inning was a mess. After Patrick Weigel struggled Friday night, Chad Sobotka was roughed up Saturday. Manager Brian Snitker put in Sobotka while the team was down 5-4. Three outs later, the Braves were down 10-4. Sobotka was charged with all five runs while getting only two outs.
At the plate
Ronald Acuna Jr. started off game with his 18th career leadoff homer, setting a franchise record.
On the mound
Fried issued a season-high four walks and allowed three runs over five innings. (Fried hadn’t allowed two runs in a start before Saturday.)
Notable
■ Saturday was the Braves’ first loss when leading after five innings. They were 14-0 under such circumstances.
■ Fried didn’t allow a homer, extending his homerless streak to 63⅓ innings — the longest in the majors.
■ Freddie Freeman saw his 18-game hitting streak end. He went 0-for-3 with a walk.
‘I want him to have to live with this rest of his life. I don’t want him to forget.’
Quotable
“(My velocity) was definitely down. Sometimes you don’t feel physically your best. At that point, you know you might not have it that day as far as physically, the way the ball is coming out . ... It was just one of those days.” Fried said of his outing.
Next
The Braves and Nationals concluded their series Sunday. The teams will play a four-game set next weekend in Washington to wrap up the season series.