A judge refused today to reduce the $10 million bail for former rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, who’s charged with murder and other counts stemming from a Jan. 29 confrontation in Compton that left one man dead and another injured.
Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen noted that he had reduced Knight’s bail from $25 million to $10 million after a hearing in April in which the 50- year-old defendant was ordered to stand trial.
Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau called the $10 million bail “very high” and asked the judge to lower it as much as he thought was “appropriate.”
Mesereau called it “a self-defense case,” telling the judge that his client — who has been behind bars since his Jan. 30 arrest — was alone and unarmed and fled “when his life was threatened.”
Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Barnes — who argued in court papers that Knight has been “a violent, unrepentant criminal for over 30 years” — told the judge that there was “no change in circumstances” for Knight’s bail to be lowered.
Knight is charged with one felony count each of murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run in the death of 55-year-old Terry Carter and the injuring of Cle “Bone” Sloan, who were struck by the defendant’s pickup truck in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers in the 1200 block of West Rosecrans Avenue.
The judge said he had said repeatedly reviewed a video of the run-in that was submitted by the defense in connection with the request to have Knight’s bail lowered and determined there was “nothing new” on the video. He said he could not tell whether an object that was picked up from the ground was a gun as the defense contends, but said the person stayed at the scene.
Mesereau contended that “people had guns, they had weapons.” He noted that the FBI has enhanced the video for the prosecution.
At today’s hearing, the judge also denied a defense motion seeking private medical care and a move in jail housing for Knight, who has had a series of medical problems while in custody.
Coen noted that Mesereau had asked at a hearing last week for Knight to be treated like everyone else and said it appeared that he had received excellent medical care since he’s been behind bars.
Knight is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom Sept. 17 on the murder case, along with a separate case in which he and comedian Micah “Katt” Williams are charged with robbery for allegedly taking a camera from a female paparazzo last September in Beverly Hills.
