The Tragic Story of Rae Carruth

 

Who is Rae Carruth?

Former American professional Football Player and convicted murderer Rae Theotis Carruth was born as Rae Lamar Wiggins in Sacramento, California USA on 20 January 1974, making Aquarius his zodiac sign. He spent three seasons playing for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL), and was fired after he was charged and eventually found guilty of conspiring to kill his former girlfriend Cherica Adams, who was at the time pregnant with their son.

Education and early life

Rae and his sister Samel were raised in Sacramento solely by their mother Theodry Carruth, as she divorced their father Charles Wiggins when Rae was still a toddler; Theodry went on to marry her second husband Samuel Carruth, but they divorced when Rae was 14.

Struggling to cope with family issues, as he and his sister were once again raised solely by their mother who worked multiple jobs to financially support them, Rae found comfort in football. He studied at Valley High School and was on the school’s football team, while he was rated to be the best player there.

Rae was offered football scholarships by multiple colleges, and chose to enroll at the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1992.

Rae began playing for the Colorado Boulder Buffaloes as soon as he enrolled at the university, and was during his final year there named to the first-team All-American; his teammates included future professional Football Players Kordell Stewart and Koy Detmer.

Rae graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature in 1996, thus making himself eligible for the NFL draft.

Rae was picked by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and signed a $3.7 million four-year contract with them, which included a signing bonus of $1.3 million.

NFL receiver Rae Carruth conspired to kill his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn son

The child has not only survived but thrived—thanks to the unwavering love of his grandmother https://t.co/XWDv12F97Z pic.twitter.com/TxURzTgDYI

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 11, 2018

He started 14 games and caught 48 passes during his rookie season, including four touchdown passes; he was named to the all-rookie team for the 1997 season.

Rae broke his right foot during the first game of the 1998 season, and then caught no passes for the remainder of the season.

He played only the first six games in 1999, catching 14 passes for 200 yards.

Love life and relationships

Rae was in a relationship with Michelle Wright while attending the University, and she gave birth to their son Rae Jr. in 1994. Following their break-up and Rae’s success in football, he was ordered to pay $5,400 as child support; Michelle later testified that she agreed to have Rae pay half of the money, but only if he were to become a better father.

In 1998 and 1999, Rae was in an on-and-off relationship with American real estate agent Cherica Adams, whom he then conspired to kill.

Crime, arrest and conviction

Cherica was shot four times with a Charter Arms revolver on 16 November 1999, in the vicinity of Rae’s house in Charlotte, North Carolina; she was able to call the police, revealing that Rae had stopped his car in front of hers, and that a person from a vehicle next to hers shot her. The police later identified her killer as American nightclub manager and Rae’s friend Van Brett Watkins Sr.

Cherica was taken to a hospital, where she fell into a coma; she was eight months pregnant with Rae’s son, and the doctors had to perform an emergency caesarean section. Rae was arrested and then released on $3 million bail, while he promised to turn himself in if either Cherica or his son died.

The baby, named Chancellor Lee Adams was without oxygen for more than an hour prior to being born, and this caused cerebral palsy and permanent brain damage; he was 21 when he graduated from Vance High School in 2021.

Cherica died on 14 December 1999, nearly a month after she had been admitted to the hospital, but Rae failed to turn himself in as he had promised, so was arrested by police a day later, after they found him hiding in the trunk of his car in front of a motel. The police also found a cell phone, candy bars, clothes, bottles of his urine and $4,000 in the car; following his arrest, the Carolina Panthers waived him and the NFL suspended him indefinitely.

During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Van Brett Watkins Sr. was hired by Rae to kill Cherica because she didn’t want to abort their son, while Rae’s lawyers claimed that Watkins was mad and searching for Rae because of a drug deal gone bad, and that he shot Cherica after asking her about Rae’s whereabouts, and after she ‘flipped him off’.

Rae was found guilty of using an instrument to destroy an unborn child, shooting into an occupied vehicle and conspiracy to commit murder, and was sentenced to spend between 19 and 24 years in jail; if he had been found guilty of first degree murder, he could’ve been executed. Watkins was sentenced to spend between 40 and 50 years behind bars for the murder of Cherica.

Rae had served 18 years when he was released from the Sampson Correctional Institution on 22 October 2018, and he’s since been living in Pennsylvania.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Rae was interested in playing various other sports during his teenage years, including basketball, baseball and tennis.

He was physically highly active during his time with the Carolina Panthers, as he attended all of the team’s training sessions, and also worked out at the gym nearly every day.

It’s believed that Rae was addicted to cocaine prior to being sent to prison, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Cherica’s mother Saundra Adams often spoke badly about Rae in public, and he accused her of lying; Rae sent her a letter in 2018, apologizing for calling her a liar.

Height, eyes and wealth

Rae’s age is 49. He has brown eyes and black hair, is 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighs around 190lbs (85kgs).

Rae’s net worth’s been estimated at over $10,000, as of May 2023.