Suge Knight to serve 28 years in prison over hit-and-run death
He was accused of killing one man in a hit-and-run....
Death Row records co-founder Suge Knight has pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge, after a man died in a hit-and-run incident involving the music mogul.
The former hip-hop titan, 53, is set to be sentenced on October 4, where he will formally receive a sentence of 28 years in prison.
Knight was accused of running over two men in Compton, Los Angeles after a confrontation on the set of acclaimed NWA biopic Straight Outta’ Compton in January 2015.
He had originally faced one count of murder for the death of Terry Carter and one count of attempted murder relating to Cle “Bone” Sloan, who was injured after Knight allegedly hit the pair with his truck.
Footage of the incident allegedly showed Knight driving a truck that pulls into the entrance of a Compton restaurant near the set where the movie was filmed.
He is seen being approached by Sloan, a security guard – with the men appearing to talk for several moments. The vehicle is then seen dramatically backing up, knocking Sloan to the ground.
Knight then appears to reverse, before driving forward once more and knocking Sloan down a second time. He also hits Carter, who later died in hospital.
Knight surrendered himself to authorities a day later, and claimed that he was acting in self defence as he fled armed attackers.
Although California holds a maximum penalty of 11 years for voluntary manslaughter, Knight’s sentence will double as a result of prior convictions. He also faces another five years because his conviction is for a serious and violent felony. In addition, he will serve an additional one year for a deadly weapon allegation.
He initially founded Death Row records with NWA’s Dr Dre in 1991, but later declared bankruptcy and the label was sold at auction for $24m. His chequred legal history includes two previous jail stints in 1997 and 2003,
