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More charges against Carruth Carruth indicted on attempting to kill unborn son
Posted: Tuesday January 04, 2000 09:02 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A grand jury on Tuesday invoked an anti-abortion law Tuesday in indicting former NFL player Rae Carruth and three others on a charge of trying to kill the unborn child of Carruth's girlfriend, whom the four also are accused of conspiring to kill. Carruth and the other three suspects also were indicted by the Mecklenburg County grand jury on murder and conspiracy charges, which they already face in Cherica Adams' slaying. But no charges previously were filed regarding her son, born 10 weeks prematurely but steadily improving. Officials said the indictment will enable prosecutors to skip a probable cause hearing scheduled for Monday. Adams, 24, was shot four times in a drive-by shooting Nov. 16 as she drove through south Charlotte. Prosecutors said Carruth may have been driving a vehicle ahead of Adams, when a vehicle pulled alongside her and someone opened fire. Shortly after the shooting, Adams gave birth to Chancellor Adams. Cherica Adams died Dec. 14. Carruth is accused of masterminding Adams' slaying, and he and codefendants William Watkins, 44; Michael Kennedy, 24; and Stanley Abraham Jr., 19, all are being held without bond. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty against the four. Besides charging all the defendants with murder, conspiracy and intent to kill an unborn child, the indictment charges Kennedy and Watkins with discharging a firearm into occupied property. The grand jury invoked a state statute intended to punish unlawful abortions in its new charge against the four. That statute says it is illegal to use drugs or "any instrument" with the intent of destroying an unborn child after the first 20 weeks of a mother's pregnancy, unless the pregnancy must be terminated to spare the mother's life. David Rudolph, a Chapel Hill lawyer representing Carruth, said he had never before had to defend a client against the charge. "I didn't have any conversation with the DA ahead of time. Obviously we have no control over what indictments are pursued," he said. Carruth, 25, drafted by the Carolina Panthers out of Colorado in 1997, earned about $38,000 per game until he was waived by the team earlier this month and suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He is the first active NFL player to be charged with murder. At a hearing last week, DNA test results established Carruth as Chancellor Adams' father. The child's grandmother, Saundra Adams, has temporary custody of the child. The boy was discharged from the hospital Friday. At the hearing, the judge ordered Carruth's assets frozen with the exception of $35,000 he can use to help pay for his criminal defense attorneys.
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