Carruth Jury Resumes Deliberations

Friday, January 19th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) â€” A verdict in the Rae Carruth murder trial was thrown into doubt after jurors reported a deadlock over whether the former NFL player planned the slaying of his pregnant girlfriend.

Judge Charles Lamm sent the jurors home earlier than usual Thursday after the seven-man, five-woman jury reported their deadlock at midday. How the jury is divided was uncertain.

Jurors returned to court Friday and resumed their discussions on first-degree murder and three other charges facing Carruth. The jury must vote unanimously to convict.

Just before noon Thursday, the jury sent a note to Lamm, who then sent them to lunch. He read the note in court to Carruth, lawyers and spectators.

``We currently are split on every charge,'' it said. ``We have discussed all issues several times and we are at an impasse. We need instruction on what to do at this point.''

When they returned from their break, Lamm told the jurors to resume their discussions and asked them to keep a record of the numerical split of any vote they might take.

Carruth, 26, is charged in the fatal shooting of Cherica Adams, who was eight months pregnant when she was shot. He could be sentenced to death if convicted.

Adams, 24, was shot four times Nov. 16, 1999, while driving down a Charlotte street. She died a month later. Her son, fathered by Carruth, was delivered by emergency Caesarean section and now is in the custody of her mother.

Carruth also is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and using an instrument to destroy an unborn child.

The jurors, who got the case Tuesday, had met for about 12 1/2 hours when they told Lamm they were deadlocked.

Carruth's mother, Theodry Carruth, said the impasse encouraged her. ``My faith is still strong,'' she said.

After the judge announced the jury split, Carruth's family gathered in a prayer circle in a hallway outside the courtroom.

Prosecutors claimed Carruth, who already had one son, arranged the hit on Adams because he didn't want to be responsible for another child.

Two co-defendants â€” confessed gunman Van Brett Watkins and Michael Kennedy, who drove the car that carried Watkins â€” testified Carruth arranged the shooting.

Carruth's defense insisted Watkins shot Adams on his own because he was angry that Carruth had backed out of a drug deal and because Adams made an obscene gesture at him from her car.

The defense also challenged the idea that Carruth â€” then a member of the Carolina Panthers â€” was afraid to pay child support, calling team officials to testify that he was making more than $650,000.