Marion “Suge” Knight should remain jailed on $10 million bail, the lead prosecutor in his murder case argued Monday in a court filing citing the former rap mogul’s “significant criminal history” and dozen failures to appear in court on other charges.
“Defendant Knight has been a violent, unrepentant criminal for over 30 years,” Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes wrote in the filing, in which she also alleged that video footage of the crime obtained by the defense had been doctored.
Two prior felony convictions make Knight eligible for sentencing under the “three strikes” law should he be convicted in the murder case, the prosecutor said.
Knight, 50, was out on $500,000 bail in a robbery case when he allegedly ran over and killed 55-year-old Terry Carter and injured Cle “Bone” Sloan with his pickup truck during a Jan. 29 confrontation in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers in Compton.
The prosecutor said Knight’s behavior showed “utter contempt for the judicial system and human life.”
Barnes said public safety was the primary consideration behind her argument that Knight remain in jail. However, she added that he could easily flee the jurisdiction and avoid trial if given the chance.
“The defendant has strong ties to Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as a large amount of money at his disposal,” Barnes wrote.
Knight, who is charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run causing death, has been ordered to stand trial and is facing multiple life sentences if convicted.
Knight’s attorney said in a motion filed last Tuesday that video footage shows his client being “viciously attacked and fleeing for his life” during the Jan. 29 run-in.
The defense motion was filed by attorney Thomas Mesereau, who is seeking to have Knight’s bail reduced from $10 million at a July 17 hearing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen.
“Defendant will produce a new, uncut video of the incident giving rise to the present charges,” Mesereau wrote. “The court has not yet seen this video. This video shows defendant being viciously attacked and fleeing for his life. Most significantly, the video discloses one of his attackers brandishing a weapon. When this armed attacker dropped his gun, the video depicts an associate retrieving the weapon and placing it in his waistband.”
Mesereau — the latest in a string of attorneys representing Knight — wrote in the court filing that surveillance video “clearly shows that Knight displayed no aggression or hostility when he arrived and was approached by Mr. Cle ‘Bone’ Sloan.”
“While sitting in his truck, Knight was assaulted violently and without provocation by Mr. Sloan,” the defense attorney alleged. “This is visible on the surveillance video and Mr. Sloan has acknowledged that he attacked Knight. Mr. Sloan was armed, as were others. Weapons are visible on the video provided to the court.”
At a hearing in April in which Knight was ordered to stand trial on one count each of murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run, Sloan denied that he had a gun with him that day.
“I didn’t have a gun … I don’t need a gun. I’m a filmmaker … Why would I take a gun to work?” Sloan testified, adding that he would not be used as a “snitch” to put Knight behind bars.
In her filing, Barnes said the defense plans to play a video previously aired by TMZ that is “neither new, nor is it uncut. In fact, the video is edited, including inaccurately written commentary embedded in the actual video.”
Barnes further argued that the court must presume the charges against the defendant are true for purposes of setting bail, making the video “both inadmissible and irrelevant.”
She maintained that Knight is not entitled to another bail review after previous reviews, including a writ denied by an appellate court, and an earlier reduction in bail from $25 million to $10 million.
In his latest motion, Mesereau wrote that Knight is “entitled to reasonable bail.”
The defense attorney noted that the bail for actor Robert Blake — whom he defended for a time in a murder case — was set at $1.5 million. Another of his clients, the late pop superstar Michael Jackson, who was ultimately acquitted of child molestation charges, was freed on $3 million bail, according to Mesereau’s motion.
The defense filing cites Knight’s “substantial community ties, his long history of charitable contributions of both time and money” and his “present serious medical condition,” and says the prosecution “vastly exaggerated Knight’s criminal history” in an earlier filing.
Knight’s attorneys said he suffers from diabetes and hypertension, is 100 percent blind in his left eye and partially blind in the right and has not received adequate treatment while incarcerated. Mesereau said in his motion that his client “has been advised by medical staff that they suspect he may have a brain tumor.”
— City News Service