Five-year-old La’Rayah Davis was caught in the middle of an ongoing custody battle between her two parents. But before her father, Daunan Davis, could gain full custody, La’Rayah was found unresponsive in the Las Vegas home of former NFL running back Cierre Wood. After being taken to the hospital with several injuries, La’Rayah was pronounced dead on April 9, 2019, according to the Guardian.
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Five days after La’Rayah’s body was found, her mother, Amy Taylor, along with Taylor’s boyfriend, Wood, were both arrested and charged with murder, per the New York Post. Five years later, Clark County District Court Judge Jacqueline Bluth sentenced Wood, 33, to life in prison after he plead guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse, according to Yahoo Sports.
A Las Vegas coroner’s report obtained by USA Today ruled La’Rayah died from blunt force trauma and a lacerated liver. Documents also note the five-year-old had 20 rib fractures, internal bleeding, skull injuries, and bruises to her heart, diaphragm and connective tissue.
Court documents say both Wood and Taylor abused La’Rayah, with Taylor, 31, even admitting she once sat on her daughter’s chest and stomach as a form of punishment. According to KSNV, Wood told police he believed La’Rayah was overweight, so he would force her to exercise as punishment. He said he was “trying to get her on the right path due to her being chunky.”
La’Rayah’s father told Las Vegas Now he hoped both Wood and Taylor got the death penalty. An emotional Davis said “they deserve not to be around no more.”
In accordance with his Alford plea, Wood will be eligible for parole after ten years behind bars. Judge Bluth also ordered he serve between 28 months and 6 years for the felony child abuse charge, according to AP News. Court records show Taylor also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and felony child abuse.
Wood played for the University of Notre Dame from 2009 to 2012 before briefly playing for three NFL teams and the Montreal Alouettes in Canada.
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