LAS VEGAS, NV – A former NFL running back was sentenced on Tuesday to prison for his role in the death of his girlfriend’s five-year-old daughter in April 2019. Following a negotiations deal with prosecutors, 33-year-old Cierre Wood, also a player in the Canadian Football League, had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse in court in April.
The details of the plea agreement reveal that the remaining initial felony counts of child abuse against Wood filed by prosecutors were dropped. Despite the legal formality, Wood retains the right to claim innocence under his Alford plea, a type of plea that permits an accused to concede to guilt while maintaining innocence.
Wood has been sentenced to life imprisonment with the option of parole after 10 years for the murder charge. Over and above that, Judge Jacqueline Bluth ordered Wood to serve a term between 28 months and six years for the child abuse charge- both sentences to be served consecutively.
Amy Taylor, 31, the mother of the deceased child La’Rayah Davis, had also entered a guilty plea to charges of second-degree murder and felony child abuse earlier this year as part of a deal with prosecutors.
According to autopsy reports, young La’Rayah Davis died on April 9, 2019, due to blunt force injuries. Findings indicated multiple broken ribs, internal bleeding, bruises to her heart, diaphragm, connected tissue and a lacerated liver at the time of her demise. Taylor admitted to authorities she had used physical force, sitting on her daughter as punishment.
Conversely, Wood confessed to imposing physical exercise as discipline, stating Davis had fallen and hit her head during sit-ups. He also expressed concerns about her weight.