Carruth's appeal denied, heads back to the cell
Colorado alum and former Carolina Panther WR Ray Carruth will not get a reversal in his conspiracy to commit murder conviction. Carruth appealed his conviction to the 4th Circuit pleading certain statements made to paramedics and certain hospital notes should not have been admitted into evidence during his criminal trial because the victim, Cherica Adams, who was in a comma, was unavailable to be cross-examined. Carruth argued that the inadmissible statements negatively swayed the jury and the opportunity to cross was vital to his case.
Carruth was originally sentenced to 18 to 24 years in prison for conspiracy to murder his baby’s mother, Cherica Adams. In a nutshell, he orchestrated a contrived drive-by shooting of Adams to avoid paying child support. Carruth had his accomplices drive up next to Adam’s vehicle and gun her down. While with the paramedics, Adams stated that “Rae” shot me. Also, at the hospital, Adams wrote notes saying she overheard Carruth say “we are leaving now” to an unidentified individual over the phone (presumably to the gunmen who were instructed to shot and kill Adams). Ultimately, Adams died but fortunately his baby did survive.
The 4th Circuit heard testimony regarding Adams’ statements and agreed with Carruth’s attorneys, but ruled the statements in question “constituted mere drops in the sea of evidence offered by the state to show Carruth’s guilt.”
Carruth and his team of lawyers are obviously displeased with the ruling and plan to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
According to the North Carolina Department of Corrections, Carruth has a projected release date of 10/22/2018.
