CASE CLOSED

Former NFL Star Learns Fate for Murdering Girlfriend

The former Raiders tight end took a plea deal as his trial was about to begin.

Kevin Ware Jr., once a tight end for the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders, has pleaded guilty to murder. The former NFL player was arrested in 2022 for the murder of Taylor Pomaski, his one-time girlfriend. Pomaski, then 29, disappeared from Harris County, Texas, in April 2021, and her remains were found seven months later in a nearby ditch. According to The Houston Chronicle, a witness told investigators that Ware had admitted to cutting Pomaski’s throat, burning her body, and photographing the scene. Ware’s murder trial was expected to begin the jury selection process this week, but earlier Thursday, the former athlete accepted a plea deal for 30 years in prison. When prosecutors presented the deal in court, Judge Brian Warren reportedly warned Ware, 44, that should the case go to trial, he could face life in prison. Just five days before Pomaski’s disappearance, Ware had been released from jail on bond after a separate arrest for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and possession of a firearm as a felon. He will now serve a 15-year sentence for those charges concurrently with his 30-year sentence for Pomaski’s murder. His formal sentencing is set for Friday, May 9.