CHARLOTTE N.C. (Court TV)— Rae Carruth will spend the next 19 to 24 years behind bars for charges stemming from the fatal shooting of his pregnant girlfriend, after a judge handed him close to the maximum sentence.

Judge Charles Lamm meted out the sentence Monday after the former NFL player was convicted Friday of conspiring to kill Cherica Adams, who was seven months pregnant with his baby. The jury also found Carruth guilty of shooting into an occupied vehicle and using an instrument to destroy his unborn child in connection with the Nov. 16, 1999, drive-by shooting that later claimed Adams' life. The baby, Chancellor, survived.

Carruth received a total of 18 years, 11 months to 24 years, four months behind bars. He could have received 20 to 25 years, or as little as 10 years in prison. The former Carolina Panther escaped the possibility of a death sentence when the jury that convicted him of the three charges acquitted him of first-degree murder.

The sentencing came after defense attorneys David Rudolf and Chris Fialko asked Lamm to set aside the verdict, citing its inconsistent nature. But Lamm sided with prosecutor Gentry Caudill, who said that state law mandates the verdict be upheld.

Though Rudolf asked Lamm for the minimum of 10 years, Lamm ruled closer to the maximum term requested by Caudill.

While Carruth seemed somber during the sentencing, he showed little emotion as guards led him out of the courtroom. The proceeding, however, was emotional as Adams' parents both took the stand to ask Lamm to impose the maximum sentence.

Saundra Adams, Cherica's mother, locked eyes with Lamm as she told him how her daughter was looking forward to motherhood — and how she trusted Carruth.

"He's already gotten the greatest gift of mercy. His life was spared," she said.

"Please sentence him to the greatest extent of the law. Don't let this be a little smack on the wrist," Adams said. "Let him take the punishment not of a little boy but of a man for the first time."

During her heartfelt appeal, Saundra Adams revealed that Chancellor suffers from cerebral palsy and, at 14 months, has yet to hold a rattle or sit up on his own.

"We do thank God that he is still alive. He is our miracle child," she said.

Adams, who has custody of Chancellor, expressed disbelief at trial testimony painting Carruth as a man who loves children.

"I'm hearing about this guy who loves children. Not once in that hospital did he ask, 'How's my son doing?'" she said.

Adams said she doesn't hate Carruth — and in an interview with Court TV following the proceeding, even said that it isn't too late for him to say he's sorry.

Jeffrey Moonie

Also testifying before Lamm was Cherica Adams' father, Jeffrey Moonie, who asked the judge to hold Carruth responsible for his daughter's death.

He blamed Carruth for the fact that he will never hear Cherica call her son's name or see her get married.

"I'd like the court to know that because of this self-centered act of Rae Carruth, my daughter's dead, and I want the court not to forget that fact," Moonie said.

Moonie was playing off the words of Dr. Jonathan Gould, the only witness to testify for the defense during the sentencing hearing.

Dr. Jonathan Gould

Gould, a forensic and clinical psychiatrist who examined Carruth, testified that Carruth is "a somewhat self-centered individual who might not be good at developing relationships over the long haul." But Gould said that the jury's verdict was "highly inconsistent" with Carruth's personality. Gould instead described the former wide receiver as "calm, optimistic and a problem solver."

In making his decision, Lamm also took into consideration lists of aggravating factors submitted by the state and mitigating factors submitted by the defense. Lamm chose two reasons from each side when rendering his decision.

Though he accepted Rudolf's arguments that Carruth exhibited good character and that he had a positive employment history before the crime, Lamm said the aggravating factors outweighed these mitigating factors.

The aggravating factors Lamm acknowledged were that Carruth "occupied a position of leadership" in the conspiracy to kill Adams and that he took advantage of Adams' trust to commit the offense.

Rudolf requested that he be assigned to handle Carruth's appeal, but Lamm said Rudolf will be appointed to the case only if the public defender's office does not wish to handle it.

The outspoken defense attorney said that sentence, though not surprising, seemed very harsh considering that Carruth was cleared of murder.

"I think in essence he got sentenced for the murder," said Rudolf. "I think he should have been sentenced for what he was convicted of, not for the murder."

Rudolf said he will closely monitor Carruth's well-being while in prison awaiting appeal and has already requested that he be kept away from Van Brett Watkins, the triggerman who testified during the trial.

Carruth will be processed through an intake center in Raleigh for felons who receive at least ten years, and will undergo a diagnostic process over the next few weeks.

During that period, prison officials will determine which facility to send him to based on his security, medical and psychological needs. If he is determined to need the highest degree of security, he'll most likely stay in Raleigh in Central Prison, which is the state's only official maximum security prison. Otherwise, he will be sent to a "close custody" institution, which is similar but has slightly less security.

Instead of spending his days on a football field, Carruth will be assigned a prison job, which he'd work until about 3 p.m. He'll have some free time before and after dinner, which he could spend in an exercise yard or one of the few classes offered. Prisoners are ordered back to their single cell for the night by 11 p.m.