Suge Knight Will Stay in Jail
Marion “Suge” Knight will remain behind bars for the next six weeks in a murder case while lawyers prepare for a hearing that prosecutors said Monday could include evidence of other crimes.
Knight is currently charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run after he struck two men in a Compton parking lot during a Jan. 29 confrontation. His lawyers say the men were struck by accident as Knight tried to escape an attack.
The decision to keep him jailed came at a hearing that also shed light on Knight’s hospitalization last week after he pleaded not guilty.
His attorney, David Kenner, said the co-founder of Death Row Records passed out and had serious breathing problems after his arraignment.
He didn’t elaborate but said he doesn’t think his client is receiving adequate care.
“Right now we’re at the mercy of what the Los Angeles County jail decides is appropriate or not appropriate,” Kenner said in court.
Knight sat with his head cocked to the side during much of the hearing convened to discuss possible bail.
A prosecutor and Knight’s attorneys sought a delay to prepare for the next hearing, which Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes said might include evidence of a “very large stack of uncharged crimes.”
She declined to elaborate.
Kenner said he had not seen any details but is not worried. He expects to challenge the claims in court and “make sure what we’re getting is the truth.”
Knight, 49, is due back in court on March 20. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
Knight politely responded yes when Barnes asked Monday whether he approved of a delay in his case to give both sides time to prepare for the bail review hearing.
In another matter, Superior Court Judge Richard Ocampo denied a request to allow Knight to be evaluated by his personal physician. Doctors with the county jail system were adequate to treat Knight, and his attorney should give them information about Knight’s ailments, the judge said.
Kenner said he would file details about his client’s health under seal. But he noted after the hearing that he doesn’t think Knight should have been discharged from the hospital.
Last year, doctors found a blood clot in Knight’s chest after he passed out at a Las Vegas jail, where he was being held on a robbery charge filed in Los Angeles, Kenner said outside court.
His attorneys at the time said the clot was related to Knight being shot six times in August at a nightclub.
Knight was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s, and his label once listed Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its artists. Knight lost control of the company after it was forced into bankruptcy.
Authorities contend Knight intentionally struck Terry Carter and another man in the parking lot of a Compton burger stand. Carter’s funeral was held Saturday and attracted nearly 2,000 people.
The confrontation occurred after Knight got into an argument at a site where a promotional video for the film Straight Outta Compton was being shot. The film depicts the rise of the rap group N.W.A.
