Innocent plea made in 1982 Ohio shooting

July 10, 2009 at 4:55p.m.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder 27 years after he fired a gunshot that investigators say caused a former NFL player’s kidney-infection death this year.

Victor Gomez, 44, was arraigned today in a Cleveland court in the death of 54-year-old Michael Woods

The Cleveland-born Woods went to college at Cincinnati and played for the Baltimore’s Colts from 1978 to 1981.

Woods lost use of his arms and legs when he was shot in 1982. He died about six weeks ago.

Gomez previously was convicted of attempted aggravated murder.

A pretrial hearing on the new charge is scheduled for Tuesday.

He currently is serving a lengthy prison term in a separate case.