(Woodland, CA) – April 18, 2025 – On April 15, 2025, Derrick Dimone Woods, a 47-year-old Sacramento man was sentenced 15 years, 8 months in state prison for the killing of 16-month-old Amanda Owens and the physical abuse of her 3-year-old brother, Elijah.
On February 15, 2021, the mother of Amanda and Elijah left her children in the care of Woods at a motel in West Sacramento. When the mother returned several hours later, Woods ran from the motel on foot and jumped into a waiting get away 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. Elijah was sitting on a chair inside the room. 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. Despite lifesaving efforts by the West Sacramento Police Department and medical professionals, Amanda was declared deceased. Elijah was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. 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.
Woods was charged by the Yolo County District Attorney on February 18, 2021, with murder, child abuse causing death, and physical abuse of a child. In May 2022, Woods’ attorney informed the court he did not believe Woods was competent at that time to stand trial based on an intellectual disability. Criminal proceedings were suspended, and Woods was sent to a state hospital for treatment for several months. In the summer of 2024, a three-week trial was held to determine if Woods had been restored to competency. On September 4, 2024, The Honorable Judge Samuel T. McAdam found Woods had been restored to competency and criminal proceedings were reinstated.
Trial on the criminal charges was scheduled to begin on March 10, 2025. 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. Despite the district attorney’s disagreement with the ruling, based on how the court interpreted the facts, a successful appeal was unlikely. As a result of the court’s detrimental ruling, 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. As part of the plea, Woods also admitted he caused great bodily injury to Elijah and used a weapon to do so. His total term of imprisonment is set at 15 years, 8 months in the California Department of Corrections.
At yesterday’s sentencing hearing, multiple family members of Amanda and Elijah spoke to Judge McAdam. They expressed their rage and devastation over the loss of Amanda and the injuries suffered by Elijah. The mother of the children told the court that the entire court experience has been incredibly traumatic, exhausting and emotionally draining. She stated, “Every life deserves to be valued and protected.”
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. We are heartbroken for the family.”
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