911 tape: Victim says football player 'just left' after shooting

<br>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ Minutes after she was shot, the pregnant girlfriend of Rae Carruth told emergency dispatchers in a cellular phone call the former football player had been at the scene, a newspaper

Sunday, November 5th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ Minutes after she was shot, the pregnant girlfriend of Rae Carruth told emergency dispatchers in a cellular phone call the former football player had been at the scene, a newspaper reported Saturday.

Defense lawyers have claimed for former Carolina Panthers receiver was miles away when Chrica Adams was shot four times as she sat in her car Nov. 16.

But a part of the transcript released in pretrial hearings showed Adams said during the call that Carruth was driving ahead of her and slowed as another car pulled alongside hers, and someone inside shot her.

The Charlotte Observer obtained a complete transcript of the 12-minute call made by Adams, who was eight months pregnant with Carruth's child when she was shot. The child was delivered and survived, but Adams died 28 days later. The child is in the custody of Adams' family.

Carruth is charged with murder for allegedly arranging the shooting. His trial enters its third week of jury selection Monday, with 11 jurors chosen.

Prosecutors intend to introduce the 911 call as evidence as they try to prove Carruth paid another man to kill Adams and their unborn child. Van Brett Watkins, 40, the accused triggerman, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and is expected to testify against Carruth.

Defense lawyers say Carruth was earning $38,382 per game and had no financial motive to kill Adams. They claim Watkins shot Adams in a rage after she made an obscene gesture at him.

The Observer said the full transcript reveals Adams told a dispatcher: Carruth ``was in the car in front of me and he slowed down and somebody pulled up beside me and did this.''

``And then, where'd he go?'' the dispatcher asked.

``He just left,'' Adams said, according to the transcript cited by the newspaper. ``I think he did it. I don't know what to think.''

Carruth's lawyer, David Rudolf, denounced what he called the leaking of ``half-truths and distorted statements.'' Prosecutors declined to comment on the tape.

The defense filed a motion last month seeking to bar from trial the portions of the tape in which Adams said she thought Carruth did it and in which she moans.