Carruth Finally Offers Alibi

Pro football player Rae Carruth has finally offered an alibi for the fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend, saying he was on the phone at the time and miles away from the murder scene.

The disclosures, made in Charlotte, N.C., court papers, reassert the former Carolina Panther receiver’s claim that he did not murder Cherica Adams.

“The person Rae Carruth was speaking to in Atlanta has told the police, who contacted and interviewed her a few days after the shooting, that the conversation and Mr. Carruth’s tone of voice were normal, that she heard no shots or other loud sounds and that she did not hear any indication of Mr. Carruth’s car speeding or its tires screeching,” Carruth’s lawyer David Rudolf wrote in court documents.

Prosecutors and another defendant charged in the slaying have said Carruth was talking with one of three other murder suspects from his nearby sport utility vehicle when Adams was fatally shot Nov. 16.

Carruth, 26, and three co-defendants are charged with first-degree murder and other charges in the drive-by shooting of Adams, 24, in Charlotte. Soon after the shooting, she gave birth to son Chancellor, 10 weeks premature, and then died Dec. 14.

Rudolf also said in the documents that two witnesses say they can show Carruth was miles away from the scene of Adams’ shooting.

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An Atlanta grand jury indicted Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis and two associates on murder charges for the stabbing deaths of two men after a Super Bowl party in the early hours of Jan. 31. . . . Green Bay rookie defensive back Rodney Artmore was arrested late Thursday at Cameron, Texas, and charged with possession of marijuana. . . . Mark Johnson, International Boxing Federation junior-bantamweight champion, was sentenced to a year in prison on a parole violation after authorities said he broke his wife’s jaw.

Pro Football

Quarterback Jeff Blake, formerly with Cincinnati, signed with New Orleans, becoming the first significant free agent to switch teams. Blake, 29, signed a four-year deal reportedly worth $17.4 million. The Saints released quarterbacks Billy Joe Hobert and Danny Wuerffel.

St. Louis re-signed tight end Ernie Conwell to a three-year, $3.9 million contract. . . . New England hired Scott Pioli, the son-in-law of former coach Bill Parcells, as assistant director of player personnel. . . . Jacksonville re-signed linebacker Lonnie Marts, keeping him from becoming a free agent. . . . The Cleveland Browns agreed to terms with defensive tackle Darius Holland on a two-year contract. . . . The San Diego Chargers re-signed tackle Vaughn Parker to a five-year contract. Cornerback Charles Dimry retired after 12 seasons. . . . The New York Jets designated linebacker Mo Lewis as their franchise player.

Tennis

Defending champion Serena Williams needed only 52 minutes to defeat Sarah Pitkowski of France, 6-1, 6-1, and move into the semifinals of the Paris Open. . . . Mikael Tillstrom of Sweden defeated fourth-seeded Michael Chang, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, and Jim Courier ousted Paul Goldstein, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Sybase Open at San Jose. . . . Top-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany defeated defending champion Jerome Golmard of France, 6-3, 7-6 (2), to advance to the semifinals of the Dubai Open in the United Arab Emirates. . . . Defending champion Fabrice Santoro advanced to the semifinals of the Marseille Open in France, defeating French compatriot Thierry Guardiola, 6-4, 7-6 (3).

Miscellany

Former Dallas Cowboy coach Tom Landry has taken a turn for the worse in his battle against leukemia, his son said. Landry, 75, has been in and out of Baylor University Medical Center and has undergone chemotherapy treatments.

Michaela Dorfmeister of Austria won a super-G race at Santa Caterina, Italy, her fifth World Cup skiing victory of the season. . . . France’s Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat ended Russia’s three-year gold run at the European Figure Skating Championships, winning the ice dance title at Vienna. Russia’s Irina Slutskaya won the women’s short program.

The U.S. women’s soccer team will play its next home game against Iceland on April 8 at Charlotte. . . . Track and field’s governing body will consider withholding discipline against athletes accused of taking nandrolone, a steroid, because there is increasing evidence that nutritional supplements are producing the positive findings. . . . Ato Boldon, competing for only the second time after a seven-month layoff because of a hamstring injury, finished fourth in the 60 meters at the Flanders Indoor track meet at Ghent, Belgium. American Greg Saddler won in 6.51 seconds. World 200-meter champion Inger Miller passed on the Flanders meet, fearing a stalker would harass her. . . . Lenore Kight Wingard, who won medals for the U.S. Olympic swimming team in 1932 and 1936, died Wednesday at Cincinnati. She was 88.

Bobby Velardez of San Bernardino, 19, won the World Boxing Council super-bantamweight youth championship with a unanimous 10-round decision over Armando Contreras, 21, of La Mirada on Thursday night at Bakersfield.