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That's A Crime
A fascinating true crime podcast dissecting everything from a misdemeanor to a murder. Hosts: Jason Connell, award-winning documentary producer & true crime junkie, & Sal Rodriguez, comedian & toy expert/collector.
That's A Crime
Rae Carruth - Pregnant Girlfriend Murder Plot (1999)
That's A Crime
Episode 07: Rae Carruth - Pregnant Girlfriend Murder Plot (1999)
Jason Connell and Sal Rodriguez break down the true crime story of the Rae Carruth - Pregnant Girlfriend Murder Plot in 1999. On November 16, 1999, Rae Carruth's plot to murder his girlfriend, Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with his child, was carried out.
Original Episode: S01E07
Recorded: 05-26-21
Studio: Just Curious Media
https://www.JustCuriousMedia.com/
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Welcome to Just curious media. This is that's a crime. I'm Jason Connell.
Sal Rodriguez:And I'm Sal Rodriguez.
Jason Connell:All right, so we are back for episode number seven.
Sal Rodriguez:When I saw the number seven, I couldn't believe that we got through seven episodes. Holy cow.
Jason Connell:We're having too much fun, I guess. Yes. And
Sal Rodriguez:you know, shout out to my sister, Karen. She listened to all of our that's a crime podcast so far. And she absolutely loves. All right. Thank you. Carrie loves it. So yeah, thank you, Karen. You'll be hearing your name mentioned in the shout up when you listen to this episode. Yeah, well give
Jason Connell:us a five star review. Karen. And please give us a great review on Apple podcasts. Right? Do it for your brother. Alright, so And today sow we are breaking down the True Crime Story of Rae Carruth pregnant girlfriend murder plot of 1999.
Sal Rodriguez:I can't believe somebody would do such a thing. I mean, this guy is not original. I think stuff like this has happened before. We've heard enough to crime. This has happened before. I don't know if to this degree of notoriety due to the fact that he's a NFL player. But I cannot fathom somebody doing something like this.
Jason Connell:Yeah, you do get these types of stories. And sometimes they're athletes. I mean, we've already had one of our first six episodes was a story about another athlete and who murdered his teammate. Now, it is rare that you have an active pro athlete doing something to this degree, and losing their career and everything from it. So that I would say is the rare part. Usually it's after they had played for a while and they weren't in the league that long and spent their money. I mean, that happens, their life goes a different way. But it is rare at the height of their career, they do something like this,
Sal Rodriguez:we'll talk about just throwing it all away. I mean, there are people that would kill young athletes that would kill literally, in his position right now to be an NFL player. I mean, top of the heap as far as athletes go, you know, top 10 and just throw it all away. Just throw it all away. I keep thinking of Aaron Hernandez right. He wasn't exactly at the time he was active. Yes.
Jason Connell:And that is much more recent. And you're absolutely right. I remember when this happened, because I remember him in college. And of course, I'm a huge NFL fan. So I totally remember this and was shocked by it. And some of the parts of the case still were like cemented in my mind like visuals of what went down. So I always wanted to go back and do this. And as I was reading and doing the notes, and doing my research, it does remind me of Aaron Hernandez, you're absolutely right. That was much more high profile. He had played in Pro Bowls and Super Bowls. And so and that was the Patriots, the Patriot way. They're this dominant team. They're going through their dynasty run. So yeah, that was like next level. But this was way ahead of its time. It's unfortunate this happens at all. So you know, someone at this level and NFL player couldn't have a better nucleus around them. But what we don't know is we don't know much about Ray crews upbringing. We're just gonna go through a little bit of his background and then really into what happened and what happened afterwards.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, well, I'm ready. I'm ready to get into it. All right.
Jason Connell:So Ray Theosis. Curry, Ruth born Ray Lamar Wiggins, January 20 1974, is an American former football wide receiver and convicted felon after playing college football at Colorado, which I remember so vividly watching him play. Carruth was drafted in the first round of the 1997 NFL draft, which is huge. So I know you're not a big football guy. But each team gets one first round pick unless they did a trade of some sort with another team. So being a first round pick, that guarantees you a great salary, you're going to play quicker, and the chances of you making it are greatly increased. So he is already a step above so many others. And he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers, of course of the NFL National Football League, and spent three seasons with the team. Now on November 16 1999, Kruth, splot, two to murder his girlfriend, Teresa Adams, who was pregnant with his child was carried out resulting in Adams being shot and going into a coma. The baby Chancellor Lee Adams suffering permanent brain damage and Carruth going to prison.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, because we have two victims here. That's what makes this even more horrendous is you Yes, you didn't just try to off your wife or your girlfriend. There's an infant in utero involved here. And look what happens. So yeah, this is really a horrible case because they're absolutely two victims. Yeah, just
Jason Connell:plotting something like this. Is there not someone around to say, Okay, this is ridiculous. You cannot move forward on this. It's one thing to think it. It's another to put a plan in motion and follow through on it.
Sal Rodriguez:You know, when it comes to relationships, I'm sure a lot of people have thought of a lot of things. But yeah, thinking of something and actually doing it to do what the worst that would have been, is a child support payment.
Jason Connell:Exactly. And so you're gonna kill them and put not only yourself in jeopardy, but you're going to take a lot If two lives and what and then go back and play for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL as if nothing happened. I mean, the logic is just so flawed.
Sal Rodriguez:You're throwing your career away. You're absolutely flushing your million dollar career away. Absolutely.
Jason Connell:Yeah, this is really sad out of the gate. So that's what happens. And this is what I remembered. And of course, like I mentioned, some of these details are very vivid in my mind. And now you get to learn about them, as does our audience unless they already know the case. So Rae Carruth was born and raised in Sacramento, California and attended Valley High School. Now that's not the San Fernando Valley.
Sal Rodriguez:You know, the San Fernando Valley is known as the valley. It's kind of hijacked that term, the valley but yeah, many valleys. I mean, we got Simi Valley right over here. So I'm in the San Fernando Valley. We got Simi Valley, San Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, the Antelope Valley, lots of valleys. Absolutely. And apparently a valley in Sacramento. I didn't know about that valley.
Jason Connell:So Kruth playing football at Valley High School, obviously did well enough to catch the eyes of recruits. The 511 Caruth was then recruited to play wide receiver at the University of Colorado, the buffaloes and he accepted and received a football scholarship now, so this would have been the early 90s and Colorado had just won their first and only national championship in 1990. Under then head coach Bill McCartney. Now that was a great team. So they had a great run. Because it's very hard to win a national championship and football it's usually that same few teams. And over time those teams change names and faces and may go on a run. So Colorado was knocking on the door. I remember when they went and won it. And so he's coming in just after that, just after that big run. It was the former assistant Rick Neuheisel took over as coach. But the team Sal was still loaded with talent. They had to future pro quarterbacks and koi Detmer and Kordell Stewart, as well as the 1994 Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam. Now, he was running back and he was also very talented. He had his own dark tale and committed suicide in December 2016, and was found at a park actually near the campus, a Colorado campus. So I might be a story for a different day, very sad indeed. But Carruth played all four years for the buffaloes, and was named a first team all American in 1996. And he also earned his degree with a double major in English. So it's a lot to throw at you, Sal. Any questions or things we should cover on the football front?
Sal Rodriguez:No, but what I'm seeing is I'm seeing a young man who all green lights, everything's great. Yep. How can you possibly screw this up?
Jason Connell:Yeah, great program are used to winning, he's playing a role and their continued success. Now they didn't win or even compete for a title. But again, like I just mentioned, it's hard. They won ballgames. So he's having success, that he has a Heisman winner in the locker room. Kordell. Stewart went on to go play for the Steelers was nicknamed slash and was high profile player. So yeah, he was around this kind of next level athletes. And yeah, you just assume like, yeah, we're all moving forward. We got good mentors around us. But that's not the case now,
Sal Rodriguez:because you know, what, if I were in that position, I'm thinking, well, especially now at my age, I'm thinking, Okay, now that I have this, how can I keep this and not screw it up? Yeah,
Jason Connell:I want to go to the league. I want to get paid. I want to have a good life. Exactly. So this is what's missing. Unfortunately, we don't know his family dynamics, as we explored in the Dana Plato episode, where it was Yes, about the video store robbery. But we also kind of covered her whole life and how she started off in a broken home. And that was adopted, and that became a broken home. And you know, there's just kind of a pattern there's, you know, and a profile and a profile. Yes. I don't know what to point two with Ray crews. Sure. We can point at him is like, this is a terrible idea. What were you thinking, but we just don't know where it started.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, we don't have a profile yet. We don't know anything about his background at all. Like we didn't know about Dana Plato and her whole life. Yeah, Why would something do something like this? And by the way, one thing I've been thinking about as we've been doing this podcast is, you know, when it comes to true crime, people kind of fixate on the serial killers. I am actually more interested in people who just kill one person. If you're a serial killer, you're just a cycle you can write it off. They are a cycle. They are crazy. If you're just like a normal person who snapped and killed someone or tries to have someone killed What the hell is going on there? Why are you doing such a thing?
Jason Connell:So that's a really good point. And I'm with you I find it fascinating as well what makes certain people break where other people are just like they might have road rage and they get super mad but they know that line not to cross over. So we don't know if it was drugs, or as we'll find out later in the trial like drug deal gone bad, but just kind of seems like a cop out but we don't know what's at play here. Now there's pressure Yeah, put Extra comes with being a pro athlete, no doubt about it. And so we should probably get into this next part which touches a little bit on that in his personal life, because he had had a child before, but we'll get into that in just a second. Because that could have obviously been an impetus to his behavior this next time around, but as far as his professional career, based on his college success, as I mentioned, earlier Carruth, was a first round draft pick in 1997, again, taken by the Carolina Panthers. With the 27th overall pick, he signed a four year deal for $3.7 million and included a $1.3 million signing bonus. Now, Sally, this is 1997 Do you have your inflation calculator ready?
Sal Rodriguez:Based on today's numbers, that 3.7 million is the equivalent of just over 6 million $6,156,000 in today's money.
Jason Connell:It's a lot of money.
Sal Rodriguez:Oh my god, I will take it and I will do. I'll do whatever they tell me to do. I will do whatever you want. Just give me the money.
Jason Connell:Man, it is a ton of money plus 1.3 million signing bonus. You're a kid who didn't have any money probably in college. I'm just assuming most college students don't have much money. So 1.3 million. Here you go this in your hand, and you'll get game checks like that is a ton of money and a lot of people sell I know this from studying the NFL and also other sports. A lot of people lose money. A lot of football players go broke. But that's not the story. So back to his career. Kruth had a respectable rookie season in 1997. And in 14 games he cut 44 passes for 545 yards and four touchdowns, which was tied for first among rookie receivers and he was named to the all rookie team so sound great star like the team's happy we got rake Ruth in here he's a difference maker at receiver couldn't have a better start.
Sal Rodriguez:Like I said, all green lights, everything's coming up roses so far.
Jason Connell:Then in the opening game of 1998. We are dealing with a collision game sell people get injured people get injured and never come back. This is a tough, tough game, sure, Carruth broke his foot and did not catch another pass that season due to the injury. He ended the season with four catches for 59 yards all on the opening day. So there's your first setback, first chance to deal with adversity, you're not out there with your boys, you can't contribute. When guys are on IR sometimes they don't even know if they travel with the team. If they're really severely hurt. They just stay back at the facility and they work out in a broken foot. You just gotta wait. Let it heal. Never a good thing when this happens to players.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. And something you don't think about happening. I mean, if I were playing football, or if I'm watching football, I'm thinking of concussions. I'm thinking of broken shoulders, maybe I'm not thinking how do you break your foot? How did that even happen?
Jason Connell:You get rolled up on from behind, tackled, someone's got your foot, it happens. It's not as often as like knee injuries or small fractures. But it happens obviously, and in your out gone for the year. Well, it takes that strong work ethic to overcome it breaks
Sal Rodriguez:what you and I always talk about that is momentum. Momentum. Exactly. Injuries are momentum killers.
Jason Connell:And if you don't have that strong core around you, and a lot of athletes don't you know, hell a lot of musicians don't a lot of actors don't. It's a consumption lifestyle at times. And so if you don't have that around you, I'm not saying that's what happened. But it's not a good thing that this happened to rake Ruth. So he would get healthy, however, and he did come back for the 1999 season in which he amassed 14 catches for 200 yards in the first six games of the year. Now, I don't know what happened to the other 10 games. I don't know if he got re injured or lost favor to another receiver. Because I couldn't find any information on itself. It's too old. And he only played in the league for three years. I was looking for that like okay, needle in a haystack. Was there an injury? Well, what we're gonna get into did happen in his third season. So it was in the season. We were still playing football in November. So that could have been it. It could have been September, October. He misses a game or something. And we're in November when this incident occurred. So obviously he had the great rookie year barely played the next year just got going into his third season. And then the murder plot takes place.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, it almost has me thinking someone like this, like someone who would just throw it all away on a insane murder plot and then go through with it. If it weren't that later on, they would be something else like some people are just they've got what they call a death wish. They're just self destructive and they are going to destroy their lives one way or another.
Jason Connell:Well, one thing I kind of hinted at earlier, but in his personal life during Kruth sophomore year at Colorado, his girlfriend at the time, Michelle right gave birth to their son, Rolando Right sued crew for child support. And she later testified that he agreed to pay $2,700 in child support half of what he was ordered to pay by the judge. And she had accepted it on the condition that he'd be a better father. So there's already this to draw on.
Sal Rodriguez:So yeah, so they made their own side deal. The judge ordered, what a little over 5000 a month. If I were a kid, I would have enjoyed that. Receiving 5000. I mean, as a little kid, my dad was paying like $50 a week in child support. And now this guy is ordered to pay over 5000. And then they settle on 2700. Because the girlfriend has a soft heart, it seems
Jason Connell:I'm not sure if that's a monthly stipend, or it was just a figure they came up with. But regardless, we know now that rake Ruth has a child with Michelle, right. And he obviously he's not involved in his life, but they've got a deal to pay some child support. And to be a better father, whatever that means. Sure. Now he's still at Colorado, he has no income, as far as we know, because student athletes can't work and have a job. Yeah. Now they get free room and board. And listen, we talked about this on an earlier episode. Some schools paid players yet, unquote. So maybe there's some of that. But this is before he was an NFL star. And we don't hear of this case again. So we don't know if he continued to pay Michelle and Rolando or what, but we do know what's in his mind. He's been sued. He's avoided being a father. And so this is not uncommon ground. Well, this leads us to the murder plot. And November 16 1999, near Kuru Ruth's home in Charlotte, North Carolina, Teresa Adams, a real estate agent he'd been dating was shot four times from a 357 caliber revolver by Van Brett Watkins, senior, a nightclub manager and associate of Carruth
Sal Rodriguez:you know, what stands out to me is that 357 I mean, that's the Dirty Harry gun, right? Yeah. Who the hell kill somebody with a 357? I mean, what's the point of that? It's almost like you're want to make a statement?
Jason Connell:Well, like you said earlier, rookies, you know, what are they doing? We don't know what we're doing. I mean, who is this van Brett Watkins senior. And how much did he pay him or solicit him to do such a thing?
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, we're told he's a nightclub manager. He's not a hitman. If somebody approaches you to kill somebody, what do you say? Yes. I mean, what is this is crazy. Why is this guy involved?
Jason Connell:We don't know. But Adams somehow managed to call 911 So she's been hit four times now. Yeah. And she's pregnant. And she's pregnant. So she says that Karup had stopped his vehicle in front of her so this is like a hit that you would see in a movie. And then another vehicle drove alongside and its passenger had shot her so someone else is driving van Brett Watkins senior there's another accomplice. Is that my understanding?
Sal Rodriguez:Or that implies van Brett was driving and he shot while driving which would be strange
Jason Connell:to have. Another vehicle drove alongside and its passenger
Sal Rodriguez:had shot her. Okay, so there we go. So there's that
Jason Connell:unless she's mistaken, you know, sounds like there's another accomplice or she's disoriented, but Caruso then drove away from the scene. Now. I don't know how Adams had the wherewithal to make a phone call and then imagine her she's pregnant with child she sees her boyfriend. Is this like an estranged ex? She sees her boyfriend. She's like, what's Ray doing? And then you look up and someone's coming up with this big gun shooting at you like these are some of her last memories.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, you know what's interesting is she may have known Ven, Brett. Maybe somehow, like maybe seen his face seen her ex Hangout. So she conceivably knew all of these assailants.
Jason Connell:Yeah, now she didn't go on to say that. As far as we know, I didn't get the 911 tape recording. Maybe she did. Maybe she didn't. But yeah, imagine what's going through your mind. It's just like, why is he stopping and it's horrific and knowing you're pregnant, and now you've have a bullet or bullets inside you. So to be clear, so Adams was eight months pregnant. So again, if we're going to take a moment here, eight months pregnant, or getting to that nine month timeline, Rae Carruth has already dealt with child from Michelle Rolando. So this has to be what put this whole murder plan into motion.
Sal Rodriguez:Well, yeah, avoiding a child support payment. That's what you're doing. You're avoiding at least 18 years of giving money. But like I said, this is not a broke guy. This is a guy who's making millions in the NFL. Yeah, so the worst is what 3% of your salary goes to a child. That's as bad as it's gonna get.
Jason Connell:Yeah, not to make light of a situation. But is Ray think that I'll get away with it. And they'll pin it on someone else. Dude, she's eight months pregnant. You've already got this other child before that. You didn't want to deal with it. Guess who a suspect number one is?
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, this guy does not watch Forensic Files or cocaine. Exactly. If he did, yeah, he would know, the spouse or the boyfriend or the ex is prime suspect number one,
Jason Connell:and you think you can handle that interrogation. And you don't think they're gonna come and find van Brett walk in senior and he's not going to rat you out or turn on you in two seconds. Oh, yeah, of course. So Adams gets to the hospital, which is incredible. However, she falls into a coma. So doctors were then forced to deliver the baby via emergency cesarean section. Whoa. So this is crazy. This is right out of a movie.
Sal Rodriguez:That's next level. So they're doing an emergency C section on a woman in a coma? Wow, I never even heard of that.
Jason Connell:Yeah. So while this is happening, Kruth went to the police. Maybe he feels guilty as he should. He goes to the police. And he posed a $3 million bail on one condition that if either Adams or the infant dies, he would turn himself in.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, this is strange. So he kind of made a strange bargain with the police and they went for it, or was that just on his terms? They didn't know where to find them. And he said, I'll show up if I have to
Jason Connell:a little hazy on this sound. Because even if they both survive, it's not as if Ray walks. I had nothing to do with that. And maybe that's how it works. It seems crazy to me, but I guess he was feeling guilty. He must have gone into the police churned himself and just tried to get in front of it because she was alive. Anyway, very strange. Well, unfortunately, Teresa Adams died on Tuesday, December 14 1999. So she was in a coma for nearly a month. So
Sal Rodriguez:well, it was probably one of those situations where they removed the life support, I would imagine. Yeah.
Jason Connell:Well, on the good side, if there is such a thing, the baby, again named Chancellor Lee Adams survived, which is incredible. Super kid, super kid, mother gets shot four times, she rushes herself to the hospital. She goes into a coma. They're doing a C section. All this happening at once the hospitals probably never seen this before. Well, unfortunately, Chancellor suffered permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy as a result of being without oxygen for 70 minutes before he was born.
Sal Rodriguez:I can't even imagine anyone living for 70 minutes without oxygen.
Jason Connell:That's quite a long time. But obviously, super baby is right, as you put it, but this entire thing, so it's truly heartbreaking.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, and horrific. This is one of those I mean, targeting a pregnant woman. I mean, you're targeting a woman and a child, it's even worse than just targeting a woman or a child or definitely worse than just targeting some guy in a robbery. I mean, this is really, really I never used the word evil, but I would put this in the category of evil to attempt to kill a pregnant woman. Absolutely.
Jason Connell:So as for Kruth, after Adam's death, he did not turn himself in per his bail agreement, but rather he fled.
Sal Rodriguez:And the details surrounding how they got him are really weird and gross.
Jason Connell:Yeah, and I saw this does lead to one of the details that stuck in my mind all these years and the following day, police found Rae Carruth hiding in the trunk of a car. I believe it was a BMW outside a motel in Parkers crossroads, which is a city there is not the name of the hotel or the motel. But it's almost as if he knew it was coming. unavoidable. jumps in the truck, right closes set drunk, but besides Kurth himself, the trunk also contained $3,900 in cash bottles of urine. Sal helped me out there
Sal Rodriguez:well, just to be specific bottles of his urine. He didn't just have bottles of your he's peeing in bottles, hopefully Snapple bottles, and that's the size you need. For those of you who have ever been on long road trips. And yeah, extra clothes, candy bars and a cell phone. I mean, what's he thinking? He's gonna stay in this for weeks. He's gonna live there with this guy. He didn't have much forethought here.
Jason Connell:No, not a good plan. So is he sleeping in the trunk at night? Was the car not his? I mean, they found him It seems like without a problem. I mean, this is one day later, so it was not as if he was on the lam for all this time. She passed away the next day. They got him Yeah, less Tennessee did van Brett Watkins senior. Tell them where they'd find him. Was he with them? Not sure. But what made the headlines out was the fact that they found him in his car and the trunk. I mean, this is a fall from grace. You weren't really sure when the murderer and how these things play out. Even the OJ Simpson trial. It's like Oh, did he really do that? We weren't sure when you're found and your trunk hiding? Yeah, you pretty much know who did it.
Sal Rodriguez:I'm reminded of when they apprehended Saddam Hussein member that video and he was in literally like a hole in the ground. They said, Yeah, exactly. I mean, how low can you go here? You know, it's like, I mean, this is absolutely bottom of the barrel here.
Jason Connell:This also reminds me of the movie Fargo wonderful movie. I saw a movie Coen brothers when William H. Macy near the end of the movie, spoiler alert, but this movie is so old, are they spoiler alerts expire? Yeah, so the very end of the movie, or near the end of the movie, he's apprehended by the police. But he's on the lam in a hotel motel, I should say. And coming in the front door, and he's just like climbing out of the bathroom window, which we've seen in millions of movies, you know, half dressed because his master plan is just foiled. Like every step of the way. And they got you and obviously you didn't think this thing through. Very similar except for he's in the trunk of his car. Never got any more details on that would love to know more. But that said at all, Rae Carruth attempted murder plot, then his girlfriend dies, and they found him in the trunk of a car. This is making headlines while the Carolina Panthers waved Rae Carruth the next day citing a morals clause in his contract. And the NFL suspended him indefinitely a day later. So you're gone. Oh, and you can't come back. And they do have these clauses in there. I mean, you cannot have someone like this in your building, obviously. I mean, the same thing happened to Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots letting go. And I believe the NFL suspended him as well. You gotta like wipe your hands of those guys immediately, even before there's a court case because public opinion is too strong. And this is just a bad bad seed.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, well, you know, obviously nowhere near a murder, but that's how they get people for their tweets. Oh, you tweeted this or you Instagram this. You're breaking the morality clause. See? Yep.
Jason Connell:So moving on to the trial. Prosecutors were contending that Carruth hired Watkins and others. So again, back to that someone's driving to murder Adams because of her refusal to abort their unborn child. We all knew this. But just to hear it. It's terrible. Cruce lawyer David Rudolph claimed that Carruth had been caught up in a drug deal gone bad. There we go. So so reminiscent of the initial OJ Simpson defense. When the trial was first going on. The defense was trying to say that Nicole Simpson Brown and her friend Faye Resnick, were into drugs and the drug deal had gone bad and like yeah, they're just trying to, you know, throw them off the scent. Same thing here. Now, we don't know if Kruth was doing drugs and obviously he's hanging out at nightclubs as Watkins, but I wouldn't say this had any merit. No, no, I think they're just grasping at straws here. Right. They claim that on the day of the shooting after Kruth had refused to fund the drug deal. Watkins shot Adams in a sudden rage when she flipped him off after he had attempted to ask her about Caruso whereabouts. So this makes absolutely no sense.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, this is no Melvin Belli or Johnnie Cochran here in this defense team.
Jason Connell:And also Adams has already said that she saw Kruth in front of her cutting her off. Anyway, just again, like you said, grasping at straws, terrible defense. So needless to say Kruth was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle and using an instrument to harm an unborn child. He was not found guilty of first degree murder and was spared the death penalty. That's crazy. So yeah, I
Sal Rodriguez:think he definitely got off easy for what he did.
Jason Connell:Absolutely. He was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in the North Carolina state prison system. Now as for Van Brett Watkins senior, he was sentenced to prison for a minimum of 40 years, eight months and a maximum 50 years eight months for the murder of Tareekh Adams
Sal Rodriguez:now what we don't know Jason is I think we can assume that Carruth offered Watkins money like I'm gonna pay exactly. We don't have that amount. I want to know how much money would somebody offer me for me to consider killing somebody? I mean, seriously, it has to be in the millions. I mean, it would have to be more than they could afford. So I really would love to know how much money than Brett was offered for this.
Jason Connell:Yeah, it's unbelievable Sal. And so many times I've read these things or heard of these cases, and when you hear the amount, your jaw drops, because it's not even what you're thinking. It's the opposite. It's like five grand 10 grand. Are you kidding me? Not that hey, 100 million makes it right. It's just these people are like, Oh, they're that desperate for whatever that price is now. Ray has more money and if it was a steep price. Don't do it give the money to Teresa Adams and Chancellor. Yeah.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah. How about the money you would have given that Brett, you give to your ex and your unborn child that would make so much more sense. I mean, obviously no cold blooded murder makes sense. But this whole thing I mean, this guy did not think things through whatsoever.
Jason Connell:So now post prison because it's been long enough now that on October 22 2018, rake Ruth was released from the Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina. Also that year, he reportedly sent an apology letter to Sondra Adams, the mother of Tareekh. Adams,
Sal Rodriguez:I gotta hand it to him for doing that because there are plenty of killers who don't. And will actually some of them, we know can say horrible things to the family to stick that dagger in further. So I give him 1% props for doing that.
Jason Connell:Yeah. And I kind of read that he had said some things about Sandra and Miss represented them and then just probably felt bad about it. I mean, he was in jail for what 18 years, just about, it's time to reflect I mean, that's what you're there for it's rehabilitation cell and is you and I both know from watching documentaries shows movies, prison can often have the opposite effect or impact on others. Hopefully some people do leave rehabilitated. This kind of reminds me of that scene from Shawshank Redemption, when read played by Morgan Freeman, every time he's out for parole. He's like, you know, rehabilitation. I don't even know what that word means that he keeps going in front of the parole every time to explain his case. And so it's kind of Yeah, what does it mean? The more you're in there, the more you think different when I say in a previous podcast, people go into prison to learn how to be a prisoner, the Robert Chambers, Pepe killer, a murderer. Yeah, he went in there and learn how to become a drug dealer. Sure. So you can often become a worse person having gone through it, but he writes his letter. And that's at least something we don't know the depths of that letter. We don't even know how Sondra reacted to it. I don't even know if they've had any contact since 2018. But Sal, there is one silver lining to the story. Yeah, I
Sal Rodriguez:need something because this is just horrible in every way.
Jason Connell:Well, it's the fact that Chancellor Lee Adams lived through all the health complications was raised by Saundra. Adams, the mother of Teresa Adams, his grandmother and a 21 years old, he walked the stage with his fellow graduates of Vance High School on June 5 2021. At Charlotte's Bojangles Coliseum.
Sal Rodriguez:I feel like Chancellor needs his own movie of the week. Just on him. Gosh, just about it. Absolutely.
Jason Connell:I want to know more about him. look him up, Sal. There's a video there's images. But by the looks of him, just joy would come to mind the smile on his face. His grandmother looks fantastic. I mean, she had to go become a mother again. You know, I mean, this is not an easy thing to do. Not only that, but someone who's special needs. I mean, game changer.
Sal Rodriguez:I marvel at people Saundra Adams is one of them, because I heard a little clip, where they talked to her after the release of Carruth from prison, okay, and this woman is not sitting there with hate in her heart. She wants to move forward. She wants to do good things. She wants to think what good can come of this? How can we help people who have been through this? How can I counsel people who have lost a loved one through crime through a horrible tragedy? She wants to do good things. And this woman, I'm telling you, man, these people, I'm sitting there, I just marvel at these people who can keep their attitude positive after horrible things.
Jason Connell:Yeah, I'm glad you shared that. I mean, Chancellor really is an angel. He wasn't supposed to live through that ordeal. He did. He seems like an incredible kid. And obviously, Sandra is amazing. And we're always going to mourn the loss of Triq, Adams and so many other cases like this, and let this be a cautionary tale to any and everyone who's in the situation. I mean, I hope re Kruth was reformed in prison, because he's amongst us now. So he's in society. And let's hope that he can go and share his story to others who don't have a strong nucleolus of people around them when they're in this position of money and power all of a sudden, and they're not ready for it. So yeah, I hope that that's what's going on, but a sad story with an uplifting ending, and I'm glad we covered it.
Sal Rodriguez:Yeah, and very interesting. I'd never heard of this. Again, this is one of those stories where one person was killed. So you may not hear about this as you would if Rae Carruth had killed 10 People obviously we would have heard about him he would have been embedded into our cultural lexicon like Bundy or like Wayne Gacy, if he would have killed a lot of people but you kill one person. I'm surprised I've never heard of this, but no, I'd never heard of this case prior to today. arfid killed himself. It may have been a higher profile. Yeah, well, that would have been two deaths instead of just what? Yeah, but you don't
Jason Connell:see too many active athletes commit suicide like murder suicide situation one doesn't even come to mind right now. But anyway, I'm glad we covered it. Thank you hope you guys enjoy it. So thank you so much for listening and please be sure to subscribe to that's a crime wherever you get your podcast. You can also really help us by giving the show a five star rating on Apple podcast.
Sal Rodriguez:And for all your listeners that enjoy sharing your thoughts. You can leave us a review on Apple podcasts, send us a direct message or post a comment on our social media which is at just curious media.
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