On November 16th, 1999, Rae Carruth, the once-promising receiver for the Carolina Panthers hired a crew to kill his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams. She later died after being shot four times, but not before summoning the strength to call 911. That call saved the life of her son, Chancellor Lee Adams.
Rae was later arrested after trying to flee in the trunk of a car and was convicted in 2001. He served almost 19 years in a North Carolina prison before being released in October of 2018.
While he was in prison, Cherica’s mother, Saundra Adams, raised Chancellor. He has permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy due to the shooting.
It’s been a painful two decades for the family. The loss of a daughter and sister tore a hole inside that never closed. But now, two decades after her murder, the family is celebrating because Chancellor, 21, graduated from high school.
Holding the hand of his teacher, Chancellor Lee Adams crossed the stage on Saturday night and received his diploma from Vance High School. It was a full-circle moment for everyone in attendance. When he appeared, everyone at Charlotte’s Bojangles’ Coliseum stood and responded with applause that shook the building.
But the loudest cheer came from Saundra Adams, affectionately referred to by Chancellor as “G-Mom”.
“He’s really worked hard,” Saundra told Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. “He’s been on the A/B honor roll a lot. I’m just so proud, so I may be a little loud.”
Fowler has covered this case nonstop since 1999 and produced the award-winning podcast documentary “Carruth”. He has remained close with the family for over two decades.
According to Fowler, Chancellor Lee spent the last six years at Vance. The first four in the Exceptional Children’s high school program and then the last two in a transitional program that teaches life skills. He will always require live-in care, but that hasn’t stopped him from learning and living life.
It’s ironic that Chancellor is part of the final graduating class at Vance.
The school is separating itself from its namesake, Zebulon Vance. He was a confederate soldier, governor of North Carolina in the 1800s and a slave owner. The school’s new name is Julius L. Chambers High School. This change comes at a time when Chancellor will take the next step in his life.
“It is significant that Chancellor is part of the last class from Vance,” Saundra Adams told Fowler in his story. “And to me, it just goes along with our theme. Our story has been a story of transformation from the very beginning. You can take something that seems to be so bad and to have so many negative connotations, and you can end up making good of it.”
And they’ve made good of it all without the man responsible for their pain and suffering.
While in prison, Rae Carruth sent money to Chancellor. But he’s had no contact with him. Saundra hopes that maybe all of the media around his son will change his attitude and he will reach out.
“With the announcement on social media that Chancellor Lee is graduating, I hope that will also spark some pride in Ray Carruth,” said Saundra. “And he’ll be excited about his son’s accomplishments because he truly has, um, just, just done a phenomenal job with getting to this milestone.”
But if not, the family will keep moving forward without him, which they’ve always done.
Saundra and her family lost Cherica but made good of it by raising her son. Now he’s a high school graduate. That’s something that might have seemed almost impossible on that night in November of 1999. But they did together and now we can all celebrate the entire Adams family as they take the next step in life for Chancellor.
“I just couldn’t be prouder because Chancellor Lee has really earned all the accolades and credits that he’s receiving,” said Saundra. “He really put in a lot of the hard work.”
And so did you Saundra.
