Cierre Wood Sentenced To Life For The Death Of His Girlfriend's Daughter

Former NFL running back Cierre Wood could spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2019 death of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter. A Las Vegas judge sentenced Wood, 33, Tuesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years for the murder charge. The judge also ordered Wood to serve between 28 months and six years for a child abuse charge.

Wood played for the University of Notre Dame before brief NFL stints with the Texans, Patriots, Seahawks, and Bills. He also played for the Montreal Alouettes in Canada. In April, Wood reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse.

According to a copy of the plea agreement obtained by the Associated Press, prosecutors dismissed the remaining felony counts of child abuse that they initially had filed against Wood. Court records show that the child's mother, Amy Taylor, 31, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder and felony child abuse as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Wood was arrested in Las Vegas on April 10, 2019, after he put Taylor's young daughter, La'Rayah Davis, through a workout gone wrong the day before. The former professional athlete reportedly told police that the child was "chunky," so he punished her by making her run sprints in the apartment and do sit-ups and wall squats – a punishment he allegedly described as "learning through fun."

Davis reportedly could not finish the second round of sit-ups and fell backward, hitting her head on the floor. She got back up before collapsing. The coroner's office in Las Vegas said Davis died of blunt force injuries. An autopsy revealed Davis' skull had multiple contusions, in addition to numerous rib fractures, and "liver laceration was the probable cause of her demise."

The child reportedly complained of chest pains days before she died after Taylor allegedly sat on her chest and stomach as punishment. Taylor also admitted she "popped" Davis the day she died due to bad behavior.

Meanwhile, former Colts player Daniel Muir and his wife Kristen Muir are out on bond as they face charges stemming from the disappearance of their 14-year-old son, Bryson, who they allegedly abused. Two weeks after Bryson went missing on June 16, he was found safe with the Muir parents in their Logansport, Indiana, home.

In a probable cause affidavit from Indiana State Police obtained by Newsweek, Daniel Muir allegedly told his wife's brother, Cameron Wright, in a recorded phone call that he "whopped his [Bryson's] ass because he touched three little boys' penis' and had them touch his penis."

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