Marion “Suge” Knight’s murder trial has been “set in stone” according to Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen on Thursday. The former rap icon will finally stand trial for his crime from early 2015 and face charges of murder and attempted murder. Judge Coen has set the date for the trial for January 2018 to take place “within 10 days of January 8.” This decision is apparently a welcome finalization for Knight who is relieved to finally be getting on with the proceedings.
"I want to get back to my family," Knight said, after his Thursday hearing.
The crime
Knight was arrested nearly three years ago on the charges of murder and attempted murder after running over two men at a burger stand in Compton. One of the men died from the incident and the other was severely injured, yet Knight pled “not guilty” on both charges. He and his lawyer claim he was attempting to flee from armed attackers when he struck the men, seemingly a play to lessen the charges to something closer to involuntary manslaughter.
A history of violence
Despite his claims of innocence, Knight has long held a history of both confirmed and rumored violence and various acts of criminal activity. Knight’s name has been brought up in conjunction with the murders of Tupac Shakur, Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace, drug charges, and an array of assaults via his Death Row Records functions and involvements.
Most notably is the long-standing rumor that he once dangled rapper Rob van Winkle, a.k.a. Vanilla Ice off a hotel balcony in a fit of rage. While both men have claimed that the rumor is false, its persistence speaks to the perceived nature of Knight’s temperament based on his previous behavior.
In 1995, Knight was sentenced to five years’ probation after pleading “no contest” to the assault of two rappers in 1992.
After participating in a fight at a Las Vegas hotel on the night Shakur was murdered, Knight was in violation of his probation and sentenced to prison.
The trial
Judge Coen has set the trial for January 2018. He expects the trial to last about a month and has already called upon the court to present roughly 200 potential jurors who stay on a case that long.
Now, it’s just a matter of waiting to see how the hammer falls, in Knight’s favor or against him.
Nekaya Carter, daughter of Terry Carter (the man Knight killed), says she is relieved for things to finally be headed to trial.
Carter said, "It's far away but it's a step.”
