Ex-NFL player Rae Carruth released after nearly 20 years in prison over girlfriend's murder
iStock/Thinkstock(CLINTON, North Carolina) — Ex-NFL player Rae Carruth was released from prison Monday morning after spending nearly two decades behind bars on charges stemming from the murder of his pregnant girlfriend.
Carruth, a former wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers, was sentenced to 18 to 24 years in 2001 after a jury found him guilty of conspiring to murder Cherica Adams.
“I’m excited about just being out of here. I’m nervous just about how I’ll be received by the public,” Carruth said in an phone interview with ABC affiliate WSOC-TV on Sunday. “I still have to work. I still have to live. I have to exist out there and it just seems like there is so much hate and negativity toward me. I’m actually some what frightened.”
Prosecutors said Carruth hired Van Brett Watkins and Michael Kennedy to kill Adams in November 1999, when she was eight months pregnant.
Adams, 24, was following Carruth in a separate vehicle after a movie when Watkins and Kennedy pulled up beside her. Prosecutors said Carruth used his vehicle to block Adams’ car while Watkins opened fire on her.
She died four weeks after the shooting. Her son, Chancellor Lee Adams, was born via a cesarean section and had severe injuries.
Chancellor Lee Adams, now 18, has been living with his maternal grandmother, Saundra Adams, and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Carruth said he hopes to “make things right” with both of them once he’s released.
“I’ve apologized to Ms. Adams for the loss of her daughter and taken responsibility for what happened,” Carruth said. “I don’t want to harm Ms. Adams. I guess, honestly, I just want to truly be forgiven.”
Saundra Adams told the Charlotte Observer earlier this year that she would “leave the door open” for a potential relationship with Carruth.
“I’ve forgiven Rae already, but to have any type of relationship with him, there does have to be some repentance,” Adams said in February. “And I think this opens the door. But I can say definitively he’s not ever going to have custody of Chancellor.
“Chancellor will be raised either by me, or, after I’m gone, by someone else who loves him and who knows him. He will never be raised by a stranger — someone he doesn’t know and who tried to kill him.”
Carruth, a 1997 first-round draft pick, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, discharging a firearm into occupied property and attempting to destroy an unborn child, court records show. He’s set to be released from Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, North Carolina, later today.
Watkins, who plead guilty to second-degree murder, was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison. Kennedy, who drove the car, was released in 2011.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Marsha Ambrosius recalls the bold move she made to meet the man who became her husband
Dez BillupsMarsha Ambrosius says she is happier now than she’s ever been because of the love of her husband, Dez Billups, and their daughter, Nyla. Their baby, whose name is also the title of the singer’s new album, was born in 2016, and one year later, Marsha and Dez were married.
Ambrosius says her album, Nyla, reflects both “the love for my daughter and the absolute lust it took to create the initial conversation with the man who is now my husband.” The nine-time Grammy nominee first met Dez during the 2015 Floetry reunion tour in Cleveland when he was working as a roadie.
She tells ABC Radio. “I was just going to be as forthcoming as I’ve always been and decide to ask him out on a date. Well, not a date. Just to go get something to eat and he obliged and we’ve haven’t been apart since.”
The two went out to a fast-food restaurant, she recalls, where they “walked through the drive thru and sat there outside on a couple of park benches and a little table.”
Then, she tells ABC Radio, they “just talked about love, and life, and our dreams, and goals, aspirations, our faith, spirituality. Just you name it. Putting everything on the table and we’ve haven’t been apart since July 15 of 2015.”
Now over three years later, Marsha and Dez are still together, on and off the road. She’s opening Maxwell’s 50 Intimate Nights tour, and their next show is Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama. The tour wraps December 9 in New York City.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Scoreboard roundup — 10/20/18
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Saturday’s sports events:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers 5, Milwaukee 1
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Toronto 117, Washington 113
Indiana 132, Brooklyn 112
Philadelphia 116, Orlando 115
Boston 103, N.Y. Knicks 101
Detroit 118, Chicago 116
Charlotte 113, Miami 112
Dallas 140, Minnesota 136
Denver 119, Phoenix 91
Portland 121, San Antonio 108
Houston 124, L.A. Lakers 115
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Colorado 3, Carolina 1
Philadelphia 5, New Jersey 2
Buffalo 5, L.A. Kings 1
Winnipeg 5, Arizona 3
St. Louis 4, Toronto 1
Chicago 4, Columbus 1
OT Ottawa 4, Montreal 3
OT Detroit 4, Florida 3
OT Minnesota 5, Tampa Bay 4
Nashville 3, Edmonton 0
OT Vancouver 2, Boston 1
Vegas 3, Anaheim 1
San Jose 4, N.Y. Islanders 1
TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(1) Alabama 58, Tennessee 21
Purdue 49, (2) Ohio St. 20
(3) Clemson 41, (16) NC State 7
(5) LSU 19, (22) Mississippi St. 3
(6) Michigan 21, (24) Michigan St. 7
(9) Oklahoma 52, TCU 27
(10) UCF 37, East Carolina 10
(25) Washington St. 34, (12) Oregon 20
(14) Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7
(15) Washington 27, Colorado 13
(18) Penn St. 33, Indiana 28
(19) Iowa 23, Maryland 0
OT Temple 24, (20) Cincinnati 17
(21) South Florida 38, UConn 30
(23) Wisconsin 49, Illinois 20
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Scoreboard roundup — 10/19/18
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Friday’s sports events:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee 7, L.A. Dodgers 2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Charlotte 120, Orlando 88
Brooklyn 107, N.Y. Knicks 105
Minnesota 131, Cleveland 123
Toronto 113, Boston 101
New Orleans 149, Sacramento 129
Memphis 131, Atlanta 117
Milwaukee 118, Indiana 101
Golden State 124, Utah 123
L.A. Clippers 108, Oklahoma City 92
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
SO Florida 6, Washington 5
Minnesota 3, Dallas 1
Nashville 5, Calgary 3
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
LeToya Luckett recalls the moment she was fired from Destiny's Child, dishes on reuniting with Beyonce
Jim Smeal/WireImageIt’s been nearly two decades since LeToya Luckett was let go from Destiny’s Child. And in an advance clip from an upcoming episode of T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle, Luckett says even though it “hurt,” she has no hard feelings.
“Management made a decision,” she explained to T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle co-star Toya Wright. “There was nothing at the time that I could do about it. Did it hurt? Absolutely. Because we were friends. I went to school with these girls.”
She continues, “Beyoncé and LaTavia [Roberson] had been in the group the longest. Then LaTavia went to school. Met Kelly [Rowland]. And then Beyoncé showed up at my school one day as the new beautiful girl with this new beautiful voice. It was just so cool to experience something like that at such a young age. But that decision was made…we were sisters.”
However, the Greenleaf star has officially put the past behind her — she reunited with Bey last month during her On The Run II tour stop in Arlington, Texas.
“That was such an awesome moment. There was so much joy in that room,” Luckett tells Essence, revealing that Bey even gave her some parenting advice for her the upcoming birth of her child.
“She went into straight mommy mode as far like ‘Oh my god. What’s she doing? Is she doing this, is she doing that?,” Luckett says. “And I was showing them my sonogram pictures and everything. She was just so excited. We’re both very, very happy, and you could feel the love in the room. There wasn’t a lot of people in the room. It felt like it was just us, chatting it up.”
T.I. & Tiny: Friends and Family Hustle premieres on Monday, October 22, at 9 p.m. ET.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Cleveland Browns trade running back Carlos Hyde to Jacksonville Jaguars
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The Cleveland Browns are trading running back Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Hyde has rushed for 382 yards and five touchdown through Cleveland’s first six games. He will now help fill a hole for a Jacksonville team that has been without its star running back Leonard Fournette for much of the season.
Fournette has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. It will be the third consecutive game Fournette will not play.
The move will give Browns rookie running back Nick Chubb more opportunities to show his talent. Chubb has tallied 173 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 carries this season.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
New video Friday: Travis Scott drops “Sicko Mode”; Lil Wayne releases “Uproar”
Epic RecordsTravis Scott and Lil Wayne both dropped new visuals for their latest singles Friday: Travis released his “Sicko Mode” video, and Wayne debuted his “Uproar” clip.
Drake joins Scott for the “Sicko Mode” video, as they travel throughout Scott’s hometown of Houston, Texas. The H-Town rapper performed the song with Drake recently in Toronto, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City during Drake’s Aubrey and the Three Migos tour. Scott is kicking off his Astroworld: Wish You Were Here tour November 8 in Baltimore.
Shiggy, who created the “In My Feelings” dance challenge, joins Wayne, and the song’s producer, Swizz Beatz, in the ‘”Uproar video. The track is the first single from Weezy’s long awaited album, Tha Carter V, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Wayne will perform October 23 at JAY-Z”s Tidal X: Brooklyn concert in New York City.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
LeBron James not worried despite loss in Los Angeles Lakers debut
Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — After a hot start, LeBron James’ first game as a Los Angeles Laker ended in a loss, but not one that has the superstar worried.
James opened the game with a pair of jaw-dropping dunks in a 19-second span. And though he scored 26 points and added 12 rebounds and six assists, the Lakers dropped their season opener to the Portland Trail Blazers, 128-119. Asked how long it will take for the team’s chemistry to develop, James said simply “not as fast as you guys think it’s going to happen.”
“I always kind of compare it to like instant oatmeal,” James continued. “It is not that fast. It takes a while to get to where you can close your eyes and know exactly where your guys are.”
James is no stranger to teams that take time to gel. When he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, Miami struggled to a 9-8 start despite three of the league’s best players. And his return to Cleveland in 2014 saw the Cavaliers open the season by losing 20 of their first 39 games.
James’ teams made the NBA Finals in each of the last eight seasons — including his first years in Miami and his return to Cleveland.
The Lakers don’t catch a break in game two, facing the Houston Rockets and James Harden.
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Khalid drops new “Suncity” EP
Khalid dropped his Suncity EP today, which he dedicated to the city of El Paso, Texas.
Also known as Sun City, El Paso is where Khalid lived before he moved to L.A. Last month, he received the key to the city.
The EP includes five songs, plus an intro and an interlude. This is the follow-up to Khalid’s 2017 double-platinum debut, American Teen, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
“More than anything in life right now I want growth. I want my music to grow and represent how I am growing up,” Khalid says. “Suncity is the start of a new era for me. This music poured out of me and I didn’t want to wait to share it. I wanted to be able to live in this moment with my fans and my friends and speak from the heart.”
The trailer for the EP includes video of the 20-year-old singer being honored in El Paso on September 13.
Khalid plans to release a full album early next year.
Here’s the Suncity track list:
“9.13”
“Vertigo”
“Saturday Nights”
“Salem’s Interlude”
“Motion”
“Better”
“Suncity” feat. Empress Of
Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Did both Pink *and* Rihanna say no to the Super Bowl?
Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for NARASOn Thursday, US Weekly reported that Rihanna had nixed an offer to perform at the Super Bowl this coming February because she disagrees with the NFL’s stance on players kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Now, Entertainment Tonight reports that another pop superstar said no to the offer too: Pink.