The son of former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth, Chancellor Lee Adams, is graduating high school on June 5. Adams survived the 1999 murder of his mother, Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with him at the time of her death. The murder was orchestrated by his father, Rae Carruth, who served 19 years in prison for the murder.
Adams was born with brain damage and cerebral palsy. His mother was shot several times on November 16, 1999, in a drive-by shooting. She was following Carruth driving his own car after the two had seen a movie together. The former football player slowed his car down, and another car driven by the hitman, Van Brett Watkins, pulled up next to Cherica’s car and shot her. Carruth then drove away. Cherica called 911 and saved her son’s life. Adams was delivered by an emergency c-section after living for more than an hour without oxygen. Cherica died later that evening at the hospital. She was 24-years-old.
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Watkins testified that Carruth wanted his girlfriend and child killed because he didn’t want to pay child support. Carruth was convicted in 2001 and released in 2018. Now 47, he lives in Pennsylvania and hasn’t seen his son since he was a baby. Adams, 21, needs a live-in caregiver. Carruth owes the family millions of dollars in damages.
EXCLUSIVE: Rae Carruth once tried to orchestrate the murder of his own son. Now that boy has turned into a young man who is graduating from a Charlotte high school.
My @theobserver column on Chancellor Lee Adams, his cap and gown, and his beloved G-Mom: https://t.co/bql7GhUi27— Scott Fowler (@scott_fowler) May 26, 2021
Adams was raised by his grandmother, Saundra Adams.
“He’s really worked hard. He’s been on the A/B honor roll a lot. I’m just so proud, so I may be a little loud,” she said.
The matriarch doesn’t know if Carruth knows that Adams is about to graduate.
“I’m hoping that someone will tell him about this great milestone that Chancellor is reaching,” said Adams, who long ago forgave Carruth and his three co-conspirators in the murder-for-hire plot. “And as always, I’m still open — maybe we can have some communication.”
Congratulations to this extraordinary young man!
