Former NFL player Cierre Wood convicted of murdering a five-year-old girl

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A former professional football player was sentenced to prison Tuesday for the April 2019 death of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter in his Las Vegas apartment.

The ruling came after Cierre Wood, a former NFL and Canadian Football League running back, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and child abuse in April, court records show.

FILE – This undated photo from the Clark County Detention Center released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department shows Cierre Wood, a former professional football player convicted in the death of his girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter. (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department via AP, File)

Wood, 33, was sentenced to life in prison for murder with the possibility of parole after 10 years. Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth also ordered him to serve a prison sentence of between 28 months and six years for child molestation. He must serve the sentences consecutively.

According to a copy of the plea, prosecutors dropped the remaining child abuse charges they had originally brought against Wood. He entered what is known as an Alford plea, a formal admission of guilt in criminal court that allows a defendant to continue to maintain his innocence.

The Associated Press emailed his lawyer on Tuesday seeking comment.

Wood played for the University of Notre Dame before making brief NFL stints with three teams and the Montreal Alouettes in Canada.

Court records show that the child's mother, 31-year-old Amy Taylor, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse as part of an agreement with prosecutors earlier this year.

The Las Vegas coroner's office said the child, La'Rayah Davis, died of blunt force injuries on April 9, 2019.