After a court overturned the confession, a California man reduced his murder charge to voluntary manslaughter for killing his then-girlfriend’s 1-year-old daughter. Derrick Dimone Woods, 47, was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison on Tuesday for killing Amanda Owens, who was 16 months old, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
He also pleaded guilty to physical child abuse for causing harm and injury to Amanda’s 3-year-old brother, Elijah, as well as false imprisonment by force or violence for both children.
“These were brutal and heinous crimes against vulnerable children, committed by a very disturbed man,” District Attorney Jeff Reisig said. “There will never be enough prison time in this case. We feel heartbroken for the family.
Prosecutors say the siblings’ mother left them in Woods’ care at a motel in West Sacramento on February 15, 2021. She returned three hours later, only to discover Woods had fled in a getaway vehicle. He had left her children battered.
“Amanda was found on a bed inside the motel room, covered with a sheet, cold and not breathing,” according to prosecutors. “Amanda’s face was swollen with bruises. Elijah was sitting in a chair inside the room. “His face and body were bruised, and he had red welts from being whipped with an electrical charging cord.”
The following day, authorities located Woods in nearby Sacramento. The defense claimed he was incompetent to stand trial due to an intellectual disability, and while the court restored him to competency, the judge also threw out his confession.
“In a pre-trial ruling, because of Woods’ intellectual disability and a prolonged delay between the arrest of Woods and the reading of Miranda warnings, Judge McAdam excluded Woods’ confession,” according to prosecutors. “Despite the district attorney’s disagreement with the ruling, based on how the court interpreted the facts, a successful appeal was unlikely.”
The D.A.’s office highlighted statements from Amanda’s family during the sentencing.
“At yesterday’s sentencing hearing, multiple family members of Amanda and Elijah spoke to Judge McAdam,” according to prosecutors. “They expressed their rage and devastation over Amanda’s death and Elijah’s injuries. The mother of the children told the court that the entire court experience had been extremely traumatic, exhausting, and emotionally draining. She said, “Every life deserves to be valued and protected.”
