A former Notre Dame running back is heading to prison for his role in the 2019 death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter.
Cierre Wood, 33, who played for multiple teams in a brief NFL career was sentenced to a minimum of 10 years in prison before he can seek parole for his life sentence, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
In a deal Wood made with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and a charge of child abuse, neglect or endangerment while still denying responsibility.
La’Rayah Patra Nicole Lamont Davis died in April 2019. At that time, police said she had more than 100 bruises, 20 broken ribs, a lacerated liver and bruises on other organs.
Amy Taylor, La’Rayah’s mother, had earlier been sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole after 10 years for Taylor’s second-degree murder charge and eight to 20 years on her child abuse charge.
At the time charges were filed, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Jobe said both Wood and Taylor contributed to the girl’s injuries, which “indicate a pattern of physical abuse of being hit, of being punched, of being forced to endure things that are just beyond words,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Taylor said she disciplined La’Rayah by sitting on her and by spanking her with her hand or a belt. She said she had left the girl with Wood and came home to find her “mutilated,” Jone said.
Wood said he had the girl run laps and do sit-ups as punishment to get her “on the right path due to her being ‘chunky,’” according to his comments to police.
“Your heart absolutely breaks and you think, ‘how can somebody be so cruel?,’” Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti said when Wood was sentenced.
District Judge Jacqueline Bluth noted in sentencing Wood that Wood and Taylor each blamed the other one.
“It’s very hard for me to believe that you just passively stood there while this child was basically being beaten to death,” she said.
During the sentencing hearing, Bluth read texts Taylor and Wood sent each other that used profanity to refer to the girl.
Danaun Davis, the dead girl’s father, spoke at the hearing.
“She was just a kid,” he said, saying Wood told him he would beat her if she said anything about the abuse.
Wood played for Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012, according to Sports Illustrated. Before a stint in the Canadian Football League, Wood played for the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, and Buffalo Bills.
