The jury of seven men and five women heard Adams tell authorities that Carruth was responsible for the Nov. 16, 1999, shooting, as prosecutors played the 911 recording in the courtroom. Adams died nearly a month after the shooting.

In the chilling, 12-minute recording, Adams moaned and whimpered as she pleaded for help for injuries resulting from four gunshot wounds.

But the 24-year-old woman was cognizant enough to identify "Rae Carruth, the football player," as the father of her unborn baby — and as the person she believed was behind the shooting.

Through her pained cries, she was able to tell authorities that Carruth was "in the car in front of me and he slowed down" when the shooting occurred, and was able to provide them with Carruth's address and even part of his license plate number.

Adams also helped guide paramedics and police to her location, even spelling out street names for the emergency operators.

Her family appeared somber in the courtroom as the recording was played and seemed to be holding back their outward signs of emotions. Among the relatives seated in the courtroom were Adams' mother and her pregnant sister.

The jury also learned about the shooting through Cherica Adams' written words. Tracy Renee Willard, Adams' nurse in Carolinas Medical Center, said on the stand that she assisted Adams by holding a clipboard as Adams scribbled three pages of notes detailing her account of the shooting.

"He was driving in front of me and stopped in the road and a car pulled up beside me and he blocked the front and never came back," said Willard, reading from Adams' notes.

"I said, 'Cherica, Who blocked the front?,'" Willard said. "She wrote, 'Rae.'"

Also testifying was Nicole Michaels, a paramedic who arrived on scene in response to Adams' 911 call.

Michaels said she heard Adams tell authorities that her baby's father was responsible for the shooting. Under cross-examination by defense attorney David Rudolf, Michaels admitted that she was focused on tending to Adams and conceded that it was possible that, when Adams mentioned Carruth, she could have been answering the question about who was driving a Ford Expedition shortly before another car drove up alongside her and opened fire.

Under redirect examination, Michaels reaffirmed that while Adams could have been talking about the Expedition, she alluded to Carruth in response to more than one question — including a question about who was responsible for the crime.

But, in the end, the defense seemed to win the battle, showing Michaels a statement taken by the investigator at the scene, which contained no notes stating that Adams implicated Carruth or the father of her baby as the person behind the shooting.

The witness also testified about Adams' condition on the scene, describing her as alert and calm. Adams' condition quickly deteriorated en route to the hospital, according to Michaels, as her blood pressure began dropping drastically. She also said that Adams' unborn baby was "dying," as his heart rate was between one-third and one-half of what it should have been. Adams' baby, Chancellor, was delivered by Cesarean section shortly after her arrival at Carolinas Medical Center. Adams survived for nearly a month but died of her injuries on Dec. 14.

Also taking the stand for the prosecution were 911 operator Angela Baker and supervisor Steve McCauley, who both attested to the authenticity of the 911 tape before it was admitted into evidence.