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Bail denied Carruth to be held in protective-custody cell
Posted: Tuesday December 21, 1999 11:32 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A judge ordered Rae Carruth held without bond Tuesday and the former NFL player settled in for what could be a long, lonely wait behind bars for his trial on charges of conspiring to kill his pregnant girlfriend. The former Carolina Panthers player was led into the courtroom in an orange jail jumpsuit, handcuffs and leg irons, sporting the beginnings of a goatee. While Carruth awaits trial -- and it might be more than a year before that happens -- he will be held in a 52-square-foot cell outfitted with a small bed, toilet, sink, desk and stool. Carruth was driven back to Charlotte on Sunday after he jumped bail and was captured last week in Tennessee. He made his first appearance Tuesday before General District Judge David Cayer. Cayer briefed Carruth on the latest charge filed, a single count of first-degree murder. The charge was filed after Cherica Adams, 24, wounded in a Nov. 16 drive-by shooting, died last Tuesday. Her son Chancellor, delivered by Cesarean section shortly after the shooting, continues to improve at a Charlotte hospital. On Wednesday, Adams' mother, Saundra Adams, who has emergency custody of the child, will seek a more permanent custody arrangement during a closed court hearing before Judge Yvonne Evans. WSOC-TV reported Tuesday that Adams also plans to seek a court order requiring Carruth to pay child support. During Tuesday's hearing, Cayer ordered Carruth held without bail on the murder charge, but allowed defense lawyer George Laughrun to request a chance to free his client on bail. Laughrun declined. "We are not going to be requesting a bond hearing," said Laughrun, whose client was free on a $3 million bond last week when he fled more than 500 miles to western Tennessee. He was found hiding in the trunk of a car. Cayer set Jan. 10 for a probable cause hearing, and authorities said it could take a year or more before the case reaches trial. Carruth is being held in a protective-custody cell at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County jail. He has no access to television, radio or video games, and his meals are delivered to his cell. He can read books, newspapers and magazines, and he is given one day each week when he can meet with visitors for up to 30 minutes. He is permitted three one-hour recreation periods each week in a concrete-enclosed patio. Should Carruth elect to use the recreation periods, he would be the only person on the patio. Authorities said isolating prisoners is standard practice when several defendants from one case are being housed at the same jail. Separating the defendants prevents them from being able to compare stories, and it also reduces the likelihood of other inmates coming in contact with them and causing problems. Carruth, 25, is one of four defendants in the case, and all are at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg jail. Also being held without bail on first-degree murder and related charges in Adams' death are William Watkins, 44; Michael Kennedy, 24; and Stanley Abraham Jr., 19. In addition to discussing the charge, bail and upcoming hearings, the judge also noted that a second lawyer will be representing Carruth, a standard practice in cases in which prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty. Laughrun, who has tried nearly a dozen capital cases, is being joined by Harold Bender, another high-profile defense lawyer in Charlotte whose clients include television evangelist Jim Bakker and Winston Cup team owner Rick Hendrick. Carruth, the Panthers' first-round draft choice in 1997, is the first active NFL player to be charged with murder. He was cut by the Panthers after fleeing Charlotte. He was originally arrested on charges of attempted murder and related offenses, leading to 12 days in jail before posting bail. He had been required to surrender immediately if Adams died. When she did, Carruth fled.
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