LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marion “Suge” Knight‘s attorneys are arguing that the former rap music mogul’s bail in a murder case should be reduced from $10 million.
Knight’s attorneys are expected to contend Friday the bail amount is excessive and should be reduced, but a prosecutor argues the amount is appropriate given his criminal history and failure to appear for court hearings in other cases.
Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes also noted in a court filing that Knight was on bail for a felony robbery charge when he ran over two men, killing one and seriously injuring the other, outside a Compton burger stand in January.
Knight, 50, has pleaded not guilty to murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run charges.
His attorney Thomas Mesereau claimed in a motion seeking the bail reduction that there is a new video of the incident, but Barnes stated in a filing Monday that the only video the lawyers have produced is a version obtained by celebrity website TMZ.com.
Mesereau said Thursday that a new copy of the video was submitted to the court on Wednesday. The court declined to release the video on Thursday, saying it was not officially evidence in the case.
Mesereau and Knight’s previous attorneys have said the Death Row Records co-founder was ambushed and fleeing an armed attacker when he ran over the men in January. Terry Carter, 55, was killed and Cle “Bone” Sloan was seriously injured.
Sloan has denied he was carrying a gun before he began punching Knight through the window of his pickup truck. Sloan and Knight have a history of bad blood and Sloan testified earlier this year that he was upset because he overheard Knight talking about him outside the burger stand.
Knight is also seeking an evaluation by a private medical doctor, but Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen has already said he is inclined to deny the request.
Coen previously set Knight’s bail at $25 million but reduced it to $10 million after a preliminary hearing in April.
Knight was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s, and his Death Row Records label once listed Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its artists. He lost control of the company after it was forced into bankruptcy.
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(Photo Source: AP)
