Former NFL and Notre Dame running back sentenced to life in prison for death of five-year-old

Former NFL running back Cierre Wood was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for the death of his girlfriend's five-year-old daughter in his Las Vegas apartment in April 2019.

Wood, 33, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse in April, court records show. He was sentenced by Clark County District Judge Jacqueline Bluth.

Wood's life sentence allows him the possibility of parole after 10 years for the murder charge. He was also sentenced to between 28 months and six years for child molestation, which must reportedly be served concurrently with the murder charge.

The child, La'Rayah Davis, died of blunt force trauma on April 9, 2019, according to the Las Vegas Medical Examiner's Office. According to the AP, she was found dead in Woods' apartment. She had 20 broken ribs, internal bleeding, a ruptured liver, and bruising to her heart, diaphragm and connective tissue, according to autopsy reports.

Davis' mother, 31-year-old Amy Taylor, also pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder and child abuse.

Wood, a native of Oxnard, California, played three seasons of college football at Notre Dame from 2010-12, rushing for 2,447 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Houston Texans in May 2013, but was released by the team in October after completing three runs for nine yards. He signed with the New England Patriots' practice squad in November, but was released in December.

After his rookie season with the Texans and Pats in 2013, Wood moved to the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks in 2014, but did not play in a game. In 2015, he signed with the Buffalo Bills, where he had two runs for three yards before being placed on the injured list in October after tearing his ACL.