LAS VEGAS (KSNV/CNN) – Former NFL football player Cierre Wood was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas and is facing a murder charge.
La’Rayah Davis, 5, had bruising all over her body when she was found unresponsive on Tuesday. (Source: KSNV/CNN)
He’s accused of killing his girlfriend’s daughter, 5-year-old La’Rayah Davis. The mother, Amy Taylor, is also facing a child abuse charge.
In court, the girl’s father, Danaun Davis, said he was devastated. He sat 20 feet from Wood, who he believes killed his daughter.
“You purposely hurt my kid. I never thought I’d bury my child at five years old,” Davis said. “I can’t call her. I just talked to her that Monday before. ‘Dad, I’ll see you in two weeks.’ The next day, I get a call that she’s gone.”
Davis said there were warning signs.
“Every time I picked her up the last few months, she was afraid to go home,” he said. “She kept telling me something was wrong.”
On Tuesday night, police said La’Rayah was found unresponsive. An arrest report reveals she was taken to a hospital and found to have bruising to her torso, legs and abdomen.
Prosecutors said an autopsy revealed more injuries, including a “large liver laceration.”
In the end, Judge Ann Zimmerman decided to keep the former football player in jail.
Davis wants justice for his daughter, a little girl he called his pride and joy.
He said he wished he could “tell her I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to her.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help raise money for the girl’s funeral.
Wood played seven NFL games in three seasons between 2013-15. He played college football at Notre Dame.
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