Cierre Wood, a former running back who played for five NFL and three CFL clubs, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murder of a five-year-old girl in 2019.
According to the Associated Press, Wood reached an agreement in April to plead guilty to second-degree murder and criminal child abuse. He’ll be eligible for parole after ten years.
He must also serve a sentence ranging from 28 months to six years for child abuse. The sanctions will be administered in sequential order.
Wood took what is known as an Alford plea, which is an acknowledgment of guilt but allows him to preserve his innocence.
Amy Taylor, the kid’s mother, has separately pled guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse.
In April 2019, La’Rayah Davis was discovered dead in her Las Vegas apartment. She suffered 20 broken ribs, internal hemorrhage, a lacerated liver, and bruising on her heart, diaphragm, and connective tissue, according to the postmortem report.
Taylor told authorities at the time that she sat on the girl to discipline her. Wood claimed he utilized exercise to reprimand Davis, and that she fell backward while performing sit-ups and banged her head on the carpeted floor.
Wood began his career with the Texans after going undrafted out of Notre Dame in 2013. He also had contracts with the Patriots, Ravens, Seahawks, and Bills. He then traveled to Canada.