A man who was formerly serving a lifetime sentence for murdering his 15-month-old daughter has struck a new plea deal that lets him out of custody in 1½ more years.
Darian McWoods has already served 8½ years behind bars because a Multnomah County jury found him guilty of murder by abuse in 2018.
But the case became a legal stain in 2022, when appellate judges threw out his lifetime sentence — determining that prosecutors had excluded two Black people from the jury because of their race.
Instead of risking a second trial, McWoods, now 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday, with credit for time served, by Judge Christopher Marshall.
His daughter, Kamaya Flores, died Dec. 17, 2013. McWoods was not charged in the case for five years.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Amanda Nadell acknowledged in court that the newly inked plea deal amounted to a “substantial reduction” in punishment, but said the family was ready for closure.
The victim’s grandmother, Raquelle Flores, described a decade-long journey from anger to grief and, now, the realization of justice.
Kamaya’s sister had been left with unanswerable questions, she added, but still loves her father.
“This pain is no longer mine to carry, and the burden is now Darian McWoods’ karmic path to walk,” Raquelle Flores said.
During the original trial, prosecutors argued that Kamaya Flores died of methadone toxicity, but also suffered broken ribs, bruises, bleeding and strangulation. She also had traces of meth in her blood.
Under the terms of the new deal, McWoods pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and criminal mistreatment, admitting only that he had caused his daughter’s death by failing to seek medical care for her.
“He did not give his daughter drugs, he did not assault or abuse her — but he failed her,” defense attorney Lynn Morgan said in court.
The lawyer noted that McWoods had been given the coveted position of prison barber at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution due to his good behavior.
Family members did not directly address McWoods but remembered Kamaya Flores as a joyful, laughing child who loved family time and watching Elmo, her favorite character on “Sesame Street.”
McWoods gazed up at a large display photograph of Kamaya, shown with a pair of oversized sunglasses perched on her head, during their testimony.
“I aspire to atone,” he said. “I just wish everybody the optimal healing that’s available to them.”
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