At one time he was a star running back on a national championship contender. But now Cierre Wood may spend his remaining years behind bars.
On Tuesday, Wood was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 10 years after reaching a plea agreement on second-degree murder and felony child abuse charges in Las Vegas, Nevada.
From the Associated Press via ESPN:
The sentencing came after Cierre Wood, a former NFL and Canadian Football League running back, reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in April to second-degree murder and felony child abuse, court records show.
Wood, 33, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years for the murder charge. Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth also ordered him to serve between 28 months and six years for the child abuse charge. He must serve the sentences consecutively.
According to a copy of the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed the remaining felony counts of child abuse that they initially had filed against Wood. He entered what is known as an Alford plea, a formal admission of guilt in criminal court that allows a defendant to still claim innocence.
The charges were filed after Wood and his girlfriend were arrested in 2019 following the death of the girlfriend’s five-year-old daughter. The daughter was found to have sustained extreme bruising and trauma.
The child’s mother, Ann Taylor, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse in a plea agreement earlier this year.
Wood played four seasons at Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012, leading the team in rushing in 2010 and 2011 and finished second on the team in rushing as part of their national championship runner-up team in 2012.
Related: Former Notre Dame Player On Trial For Murder Could Face 10 Additional Child Abuse Charges