A former professional football player was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2021 murder of his girlfriend.
Kevin Ware Jr. received the sentence as part of a plea agreement in a Harris County, Texas, court. The agreement resolved charges stemming from the death of 29-year-old Taylor Pomaski.
Authorities said Ware admitted to killing Pomaski and burning her body. Her remains were located in a north Harris County ditch several months after she disappeared. Court documents indicated Ware used a knife and a blunt object against Pomaski and strangled her before setting her corpse on fire.
Pomaski was last seen at a party at her Houston-area home on April 25, 2021. An initial investigation into her disappearance suspected foul play.
The 41-year-old Ware was already facing a prison term for unrelated charges. He pleaded guilty to drugs and weapons charges on December 12, 2022, the day his trial was scheduled to begin on those counts.
Ware received a 15-year concurrent sentence for the drug and weapons offenses. Those charges originated from an April 2021 traffic stop in Montgomery County where Ware was stopped for speeding. A search of his vehicle uncovered a loaded AK-47 assault rifle, other firearms, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Ware, a convicted felon, was out on bond for these charges when Pomaski vanished.
Ware played two seasons in the NFL as a tight end. He played for the Washington Redskins in 2003 and the San Francisco 49ers in 2004. He attended the University of Washington after graduating from Klein Oak High School in Harris County.
Taylor Pomaski's former boyfriend, Eric Zuleger, previously stated he believed she was in an abusive relationship at the time she disappeared. Zuleger told local media that Pomaski had reached out to him multiple times in the month before her disappearance, talking about getting back on her feet.
