Triggerman Details Shooting

An emotional Van Brett Watkins gave jurors in Charlotte, N.C., a graphic account of how he pointed a gun at Rae Carruth’s pregnant girlfriend and pulled the trigger five times.

Watkins wiped away tears after describing his emotions when he realized what he had done. He then swore at Carruth, stood up in the witness box and shouted, “Are you happy now?”

During his second day of testimony Thursday at the former NFL player’s murder trial, Watkins again demonstrated that he can be composed for long stretches of testimony but is prone to loud outbursts.

Watkins said he was in the back seat of a car that pulled alongside Cherica Adams’ BMW last year. Carruth, he said, blocked her path with his vehicle and watched the attack in the rearview mirror.

“I fired one shot, then four more shots: bam, bam, bam, bam,” Watkins said in a monotone. “She was screaming. She was drowning in her own blood. You could hear a gurgling sound.”

Carruth, 26, could get the death penalty if convicted of plotting Adams’ shooting Nov. 16, 1999. She died a month later, after delivering Carruth’s son. The baby now lives with Adams’ mother. Watkins pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, avoiding a possible death sentence.

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The arraignment of Avenger quarterback Todd Marinovich, who is charged with possession of heroin, was continued until Jan. 17. Marinovich was initially supposed to be arraigned today.

Marinovich, a former USC and Los Angeles Raider quarterback, was arrested Dec. 13 near downtown L.A. after being pulled over because his vehicle was missing a license plate. After police discovered he had been driving with a suspended driver’s license, they reportedly came across the drug while preparing to impound the automobile.

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Prosecutors in Waukesha, Wis., asked a judge to allow them to tell jurors that former Green Bay Packer star Mark Chmura refused to take a lie detector test in his sex assault case.

Chmura’s lawyers countered with another request to dismiss the case, citing prosecutorial misconduct.

Chmura, 31, has been accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl at a high school party at the home of his friend Robert Gessert in April. Chmura pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and child enticement.

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Tennis great Boris Becker, who has filed for divorce in Germany, wants his wife’s alimony and child support case in Miami to be conducted in private because of numerous death and kidnapping threats.

Open proceedings would pose a “substantially increased risk of injury and harm” to Becker’s 6-year-old son and 15-month-old daughter, according to his request to seal court records and any hearings.

Miscellany

Venus Williams, who won two Grand Slam singles titles and two Olympic gold medals this year, signed an endorsement deal with Reebok International that is believed to be the richest for any female athlete. Terms were not announced but the deal was reported to be worth $40 million for five years. . . . Nike’s association with youth basketball coach Pat Barrett and his Southern California All-Stars traveling team program has not been renewed, a Nike executive said. “We evaluate our programs every year and we renew some and don’t renew some,” said Lynn Merritt, director of nonprofessional basketball operations for Nike. . . . Cristoph Gruber of Austria won a men’s giant slalom ski race at Bormio, Italy, beating Eric Schlopy, whose second-place finish was the best by an American man in the event since 1983. . . . Outfielder Tim Raines, 41, decided his playing days weren’t over and agreed to a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos. . . . Mike Hampton’s contract with the Colorado Rockies is for $121 million over eight years, not the $123.8 million stated by his agent, according to details sent to teams and other agents.