Prosecutors to Seek Death in Carruth Case

Wearing leg irons and handcuffs, Rae Carruth told a judge in Jackson, Tenn., on Thursday he would return to North Carolina to face a murder charge in the shooting of his pregnant girlfriend.

Prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty against the Carolina Panther wide receiver and the three other men charged in the killing of Cherica Adams.

Meantime, Carruth, a first-round draft choice in 1997, was waived by the team and suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

He was captured by the FBI on Wednesday evening, hiding in the trunk of a car in a motel parking lot in Wildersville, about 100 miles northeast of Memphis. An affidavit filed with the arrest warrant said agents learned of his whereabouts from the bonding company responsible for Carruth’s $3 million bail.

Wearing a gray-and-black jacket and blue jeans, Carruth was brought into U.S. District Court for a brief hearing before Judge James Todd.

“I’m going to voluntarily go back,” Carruth said softly.

Adams was 6 1/2 months’ pregnant when she was shot Nov. 16. Doctors performed an emergency delivery and her 4-week-old son is in fair condition.

Three other men charged with the killing made initial court appearances Thursday in Charlotte. A judge revoked bail for Michael Eugene Kennedy, 24; Stanley Drew “Boss” Abraham, 19; and William Edward Watkins, 44.

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Miami Dolphin running back Cecil Collins, who played only six games in college because of legal trouble, was arrested in Davie, Fla., on charges that threaten his NFL career.

A married couple accused Collins of climbing through a bedroom window into their apartment at about 5 a.m. He was charged with burglary and suspended indefinitely by the Dolphins.

“I just made a mistake,” Collins said after being released on $10,000 bond.

The couple said Collins had been annoying the woman for the last two months, repeatedly asking her out even after she told him she was married. The alleged burglary is similar to a felony case that placed Collins on probation in Louisiana, where court records portray him as a sexual predator.

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Buffalo Bill defensive end Bruce Smith held out hope that he might play Sunday in Arizona after an MRI on his sore right shoulder revealed some damage but no tear. . . . Buffalo receiver Eric Moulds criticized the NFL after the league fined him $5,000 for making the forbidden “throat slash” gesture in last Sunday’s game. “Rarely is it that you get into the end zone in this league, so guys get excited,” Moulds said. “Right now they’re trying to take the fun out of the game and make it a straight business.” . . . Minnesota Viking receiver Cris Carter had his cast removed so team doctors could assess the soreness, swelling and mobility of his severely sprained right ankle. He is listed as doubtful for Monday’s game against Green Bay.