Former professional football player Cierre Wood was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 10 years, in the death of his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter in April 2019. Wood pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse, and also entered an Alford plea, allowing him to claim innocence while admitting guilt in criminal court.
Wood played college football at the University of Notre Dame and had brief stints in the NFL and Canadian Football League before the incident. The child’s mother, Amy Taylor, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse in connection with her daughter La’Rayah Davis’s death.
The coroner’s office in Las Vegas determined that La’Rayah Davis died from blunt force injuries on April 9, 2019. Wood’s sentencing includes serving between 28 months and six years for the child abuse charge, with the two sentences to be served consecutively. Other felony counts of child abuse were dismissed as part of the plea agreement with prosecutors.
Wood and Taylor’s guilty pleas bring some closure to the tragic case, which involved the death of a young child at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. The sentencing is a reminder of the consequences of such actions and serves as a warning against child abuse and neglect.
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