Ex-NFL Player Kevin Ware Indicted for Murder of Girlfriend in Texas
Former NFL player Kevin Ware has been indicted on murder and tampering charges in the death of his girlfriend, Taylor Pomaski.
On Thursday, Ware, 41, was indicted by a grand jury in Harris County, Texas for murder and tampering with evidence, "specifically a corpse," according to a release issued by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
Pomaski was last seen at a party at her home in Spring, Texas, on April 25, 2021.
For months, police found no trace of her until December of that year, when the Harris County Sheriff's Department discovered human remains during their investigation into Pomaski's disappearance. They were identified at the end of April as belonging to Pomaski.
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Ware already sits behind bars in nearby Montgomery County north of Houston, NBC News reported.
Last April, the former tight end was arrested in Harris County on two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon. He was released on $23,000 bond on April 20, 2021 — five days before Pomaski vanished.
The athlete was arrested again in June 2021 for failing to appear in court and check in with his probation office, according to KRPC 2 Houston. He was identified as a suspect in Pomaski's disappearance during that bond hearing later that month, prosecutors at the time asking that his bail be revoked, KHOU-TV and KPRC-TV reported.
A judge in Montgomery County wound up ordering Ware to be held without bond, citing his previous bond violation.
Montgomery County Jail Kevin Ware Jr.
"Although this investigation has been going on since Taylor's disappearance in 2021, the court process is just beginning," a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's office, Lacy Johnson, said in the statement Thursday. "We encourage anyone who has knowledge about what happened between Kevin and Taylor to come forward."
"We encourage anyone who has knowledge about what happened between Kevin and Taylor to come forward," she said in the statement.
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If Ware is convicted of murder, he may face a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison, according to the Harris County District Attorney's office.
The office noted in its statement that "an indictment means that a grand jury, after a review of the evidence, has determined that there is probable cause for a criminal charge."
PEOPLE has reached out to Ware's representative for comment.
Ware's NFL career was short-lived. After playing college football at the University of Washington, Ware spent parts of the 2003 and 2004 NFL seasons with Washington and San Francisco, respectively. He only ever appeared in 16 total NFL games, according to Pro Football Reference.
Facebook Taylor Pomaski
RELATED: Texas Officials Identify Remains of Taylor Pomaski, Missing Girlfriend of Ex-NFL Player Kevin Ware
When Ware was jailed in Montgomery County in June 2021, a friend of Pumaski's told KRPC 2 that he hoped people with information about Pumaski's disappearance would grow more inclined to speak with police concerning the investigation.
"It feels good to reach a milestone like that, to make sure he stays in jail," Eric Zuleger told KRPC 2 at the time. "But what would really feel good is if we knew where Taylor was and if he was a decent person, he would tell us because he knows exactly what happened and where she is and he's holding that from the family."
