Rae Carruth, the former Panthers wide receiver who was convicted of conspiring to murder his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, will be greeted by his son and Cherica’s mother, Saundra, when he gets out of prison, according to a feature on the boy and his grandmother by the Charlotte Observer.
Cherica was eight months pregnant in December 1999 when she was shot to death by Van Brett Watkins, who testified in court that Carruth hired him to do the deed. The child, Chancellor Lee Adams, survived but was born with cerebral palsy and brain damage. He is now 17.
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Carruth was sentenced in 2001 to at least 18 years and 11 months in prison. When he walks out of jail — he is currently in Columbia, N.C., but could be transferred by then — Saundra and Chancellor plan to be there. His projected release date is Oct. 22, 2018.
"I’m hoping that I’ll be able to make contact with Rae, maybe by next year, so it won’t be a total surprise to him," Saundra Adams told the Observer. “I’m not trying to just corner him. I want him to know that we want to be there. ... Maybe I can just talk to him and tell him some important things about what his son is doing, and where he is in life.”
Adams said that thanks to her Christian faith, she has forgiven Carruth. In fact, she wants her grandson to have a relationship with his father.
“I would like Chancellor and I to be there so he could officially meet his son. Even if it’s for a few minutes — just have an embrace with his son.”
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The grandmother and grandson support themselves with assistance from the government. They have also received some private donations over the years.Donations to the cause can be made via www.buffs4life.org. Read the full Observer story here.