(Image: West Sacramento Police Department)
A California man has been charged with various crimes after he was accused of killing his then-girlfriend’s 1-year-old daughter and physically abusing her brother
A California man has been charged with various crimes after he was accused of killing his then-girlfriend’s 1-year-old daughter. It was announced in a statement by the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office that Derrick Dimone Woods, 47, had pleaded guilty to the charges of voluntary manslaughter.
It was announced earlier this month that Woods had been sentenced to 15 years, 8 months in state prison for the killing as well as the physical abuse of the girl’s 3-year-old brother, Elijah. It was reported that on February 15, 2021, the siblings’ mother left both Amanda, 1, and Elijah alone with Woods at a motel in the city of West Sacramento.
Three hours later, the mother returned to the room only to find Woods dashing into a getaway car. “Amanda was found on a bed inside the motel room, covered with a sheet, cold and not breathing. Amanda’s face was swollen and covered in bruises,” the report read.
“Elijah was sitting on a chair inside the room,” the report added. “Both his face and body were bruised, and he had red welts from being whipped with an electrical charging cord. The mother immediately called 911.”
The report stated that, despite authorities initiating lifesaving efforts, the toddler was pronounced dead. It was reported that the boy was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. The statement added that a “twenty-four-hour manhunt ensued, searching for Woods. He was found the following day, February 16, 2021, walking out of an apartment in Sacramento.”
On February 18, Wood was charged with murder, child abuse causing death, and physical abuse of a child. In May 2022, Woods’ lawyer stated that he believed his client, at the time of the incident, was not competent at that time to stand trial based on an intellectual disability.
It was further reported that all legal proceedings against Woods were suspended and the man was sent to a state hospital to undergo treatment. In the summer of 2024, it was reported that a three-week trial was held to determine if Woods had been restored to competency.
In September, it was reported that Judge Samuel T. McAdam “found Woods had been restored to competency and criminal proceedings were reinstated.” It was said that, due to Woods’ mental disability and the prolonged delay between the arrest of Woods and the reading of Miranda warnings, McAdams decided to exclude the man’s confession.
According to the document, the DA reported that it complied with the ruling as an appeal was unlikely to succeed. “Woods pled to Voluntary Manslaughter for the death of Amanda, Physical Child Abuse for the assault on Elijah, and False Imprisonment by Force or Violence as to both children,” the document read.
As a part of the plea agreement, it was stated that “Woods also admitted he caused great bodily injury to Elijah and used a weapon to do so.” In a statement, District Attorney Jeff Reisig said “These were brutal and heinous crimes against vulnerable children, by a very disturbed man.
“No amount of prison time will ever be enough in this case,” Reisig added. “We are heartbroken for the family.”
