Former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight is heading to trial.
Knight was ordered to stand trial by judge Ronald Coen during a hearing in Los Angeles on Thursday. He will be tried on one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of hit-and-run stemming from a January incident in Compton, California, that left one man dead and another injured.
The Death Row Records co-founder will next appear in court on Apr. 30 for his arraignment on those charges, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told TheWrap.
Knight did receive one bit of good news during Thursday’s hearing: Coen reduced his bail from $25 million to $10 million.
Knight is accused of intentionally running over Cle “Bone” Sloan and Terry Carter, 55, killing Carter and injuring Sloan. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and faces life in prison if found otherwise, due to prior convictions.
During a hearing on Monday, Sloan testified that he’s “no snitch” and told the court that he would not play a part in putting Knight away.
“I don’t want it to get misconstrued that I told on this man,” Sloan said. “I’m no snitch. I will not be used to send Suge Knight to prison.”
Sloan added, “I can’t say this man ran me over.”
Knight’s attorney, Matthew Fletcher, has claimed that his client — who has been rushed to the hospital on multiple occasions when he was due to appear in court — has been treated unfairly while incarcerated. Fletcher has asserted, among other things, that Knight has been denied access to medication, and that he has been barred from meeting with experts and investigators who might help with his case.
However, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has disputed those claims.
“Mr. Knight is receiving all the appropriate medical care and necessities that any inmate receives in jail,” the spokesperson told TheWrap. “He is allowed visitors in addition to meeting with his attorney. He is in a single-person cell, but is next to other inmates. There is a court order that restricts his telephone usage.”