Lane’s Wife Could Face Death Penalty in Shooting Death

Fred Lane’s estranged wife killed him with two shotgun blasts to collect on a $5 million insurance policy taken out on him earlier this year, a prosecutor said Friday.

Deidra Lane “laid in wait to kill him” upon his return home July 6 from Nashville, where he had been staying with relatives, assistant district attorney Gentry Caudill said at a bond hearing in Charlotte, N.C.

The 24-year-old Indianapolis Colt running back was shot in the chest and head as he walked in the front door.

Mecklenburg County Superior Court Judge Richard Boner ruled the 25-year-old Lane could be released on $100,000 secured bond. She left the jail less than three hours later without speaking to reporters.

Caudill said prosecutors had not decided on whether to pursue the death penalty, but told the judge Lane’s premeditation could qualify as a capital offense.

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Pro Bowl defensive end Tony Brackens signed a six-year contract with Jacksonville that could be worth up to $40 million with incentives. The Jaguars’ first-round draft pick, R. Jay Soward, is expected to miss the opener after spraining his left ankle in the team’s exhibition game against Atlanta. . . . Green Bay acquired kick returner-cornerback Allen Rossum from Philadelphia for an undisclosed pick in the 2001 draft. . . . The New York Giants claimed cornerback Ramos McDonald off waivers from San Francisco. . . . Atlanta quarterback Danny Kanell will miss at least the first two weeks of the season after breaking the ring finger on his throwing hand during Thursday night’s exhibition game against Jacksonville. . . . Philadelphia agreed to terms with veteran safety Tim Hauck on a one-year contract.

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