Ex-NFL player exercised 5-year-old girl to death because she was ‘chunky,’ mother sat on girl as punishment: Report

Cierre Woods reportedly called the grueling workouts ‘learning through fun’

The former NFL player accused with his girlfriend of killing her 5-year-old daughter thought the girl was overweight and forced her to exercise rigorously.

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Cierre Wood and Amy Taylor were both charged with murder last week after Taylor’s 5-year-old daughter La’Rayah Davis died of multiple blunt force injuries. The little girl was brought to a hospital, reportedly in cardiac arrest, on Tuesday, and medical staff there alerted authorities to signs of child abuse.

In addition to the blunt-force injuries, La’Rayah also had a lacerated liver and bruises on her abdomen, legs, and torso.

KSNV obtained an arrest report showing that Wood said he forced the girl to workout because he was concerned about her weight, telling police that he was “trying to get her on the right path due to her being chunky.”

According to the report, Wood, a former NFL recruit who previously played for Notre Dame, made the girl “run sprints in the apartment, do sit-ups and wall squats.”

TMZ reports that Wood characterized the workouts as “learning through fun,” and that La’Ravah collapsed on Tuesday after she couldn’t finish another round of sit-ups, hitting her head on the floor before trying and failing to stand up again.

According to TMZ, prosecutors said at a hearing on Tuesday that the girl had been complaining of chest pains shortly before her death, allegedly due to her mother sitting on her stomach and chest as a form of punishment.

A judge at the hearing reportedly warned the courtroom about graphic photos of the victim.

“Once you’ve seen them, you can’t ever unsee them,” the judge reportedly said.