Ex-NFL WR who spent last 17 years in jail now wants custody of his son
File this under “You have to see it to believe it.”
Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth has spent the past 17 years in prison for his part in a plot to kill his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, in 2001.
Adams was seven months pregnant with their child when she died.
The child, Chancellor, survived. But he was born with cerebral palsy.
Carruth wrote an open letter to Cherica’s mother, Saundra, who has raised Chancellor for his entire life.
In the letter, Carruth made it crystal clear — he wants custody of his son.
The 15-page, hand-written letter was also sent to WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina, accompanied by an exclusive interview with reporter Sarah Blake-Morgan.
Listen : Rae Carruth's words to Saundra Adams, the mother of the woman he conspired to kill.
Watch the full story here : https://t.co/E8KLEmIR0v pic.twitter.com/azRp7h9FbB
— Sarah Blake Morgan (@StorytellerSBM) February 19, 2018
Carruth begins by thanking Adams for taking care of her grandchild.
“I see myself in him. I see his mother,” Carruth said. “I just see a kid that’s unaware of the difficulties he has. I can tell he’s being loved. I can see he’s being well taken care of.”
But Carruth then says Chancellor should be with him.
“I should be raising my son. His mother should be raising her son,” he said. “Ms. Adams should not be doing this and I want the responsibility back…I feel like he might not ever have his mother in his life but he could still have me and I could still make a difference and I don’t think that’s anyone’s responsibility when I’m still here.”
Carruth, who is scheduled for release in October, goes on to call Adams a hypocrite for saying he never apologized to her, which he says is not true.
The former University of Colorado star goes on to say that Adams has lied about her daughter’s relationship with Carruth — they didn’t have a “tumultuous relationship,” and that “lust was the tie that bound us, not like or love.”
Saundra Adams told WBTV that she has mixed emotions regarding Carruth’s letter.
Cherica Adams' mother responds to Rae Carruth's jailhouse letter to care for his son…
"I don't see Rae Carruth having custody of Chancellor Lee Adams. Ever."
Saundra Adams' full "mixed emotions" reaction >>> https://t.co/FlS1EHKtGr #CLT #Panthers pic.twitter.com/2GupLYrYGA
— Mark Davenport (@TheDavenReport) February 19, 2018
“On one side, it’s what I’ve been praying for, that he’d have a change of heart,” she said. “On the other side, there’s a lot of untruths in what I heard, because I’ve never received any correspondence from him, especially saying that he’s apologized or that he’s taken responsibility for Cherica’s death or Chancellor’s cerebral palsy. I have never heard that.”
A deeply religious woman, Adams said she has always hoped that Carruth would play some role in her grandson’s life. “That does give me a sigh of relief, because I don’t think we could go forth with a real relationship until there was some type of repentance,” she said.
But as far as having custody of Chancellor?
Saundra Adams tells WBTV Rae Carruth will "never"have custody of his son Chancellor Lee Adams.
He writes that he wants to care for his son.— Steve Crump WBTV (@SteveCrumpWBTV) February 19, 2018
“I don’t see Rae Carruth having custody of Chancellor Lee Adams ever,” she said. “I’m not concerned about him getting custody of Chancellor.”
When asked what he’s learned over the past 17 years, Carruth said he’s learned to see things from a larger perspective.
“I think the biggest lesson that I’ve learned is that the choices that we make don’t just affect us, they affect loved ones, your family, the people around you and that’s something I didn’t realize before,” he said.
Carruth says that he wants to make things right with his son.
“I feel like I owe Chancellor,” he said. “I let him down as he came into this world and the only way that I can make that right, the only way I can work out my relationship with my son, is to be there for him and to be a father and a dad to him going forward.”
After conspiring to kill his son’s mother, it seems like that ship may have sailed.
Carruth is scheduled for release Oct. 22.
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