Man sentenced to prison in death of 16-month-old child at West Sacramento motel
A man convicted of killing a young child and abusing another in Yolo County was sentenced this week to more than 15 years in prison on charges of voluntary manslaughter and assault.
Derrick Dimone Woods, now 47, was accused of physically abusing the children — a 16-month-old girl and her 3-year-old brother — over several hours in February 2021, after their mother left them in Woods’ care at a West Sacramento motel, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office.
Woods was arrested, but his criminal case saw delays after concerns about his competency to stand trial, court records show. His case restarted in September after he was considered competent to proceed.
But it did not go to trial. Instead, Woods last month pleaded no contest to child abuse, voluntary manslaughter and false imprisonment, according to court records.
Woods as part of his plea admitted he caused great bodily injury to the child who survived “and used a weapon to do so,” the District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig in a prepared statement called the crimes “brutal and heinous.”
”We are heartbroken for the family,” Reisig said.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM.
