LOS ANGELES – Marion “Suge” Knight is scheduled to return to court Friday morning for a bail-review hearing in a murder case filed against the former rap music mogul.
A Los Angeles prosecutor filed a motion Thursday asking that a judge set Knight’s bail at $25 million, citing numerous threats and acts of violence dating back to the mid-1990s. The motion accuses Knight of being part of an extortion ring that targets up-and-coming and established rappers and has been paid more than $10 million in recent years. It also states Knight has made threats over the upcoming film “Straight Outta Compton,” which chronicles the rise of the rap group NWA.
Knight has been held without bail since early February, when he was charged with murder, attempted murder and hit-and-run after he struck two men with his pickup truck in a Compton, California, parking lot. Terry Carter, 55, was killed in the incident.
The Death Row Records co-founder has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have said Knight was ambushed.
A phone message for Knight’s attorney, Matthew Fletcher, was not returned Thursday.
If Knight attempts to post bail, Barnes has requested that he prove the money has not come from illegal activities.
If Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen grants Knight bail, he would either have to post the entire amount in cash or pay a bond company eight per cent of the bail amount and the company would put up the whole amount, Los Angeles criminal defence attorney Lou Shapiro said.
The bond company would keep Knight’s money – $2 million if Knight’s bail is set at $25 million – as its fee, Shapiro said.
Among the allegations of threats included in the motion is a summary of a heavily-redacted police report taken last year from someone who claims Knight threatened them over “Straight Outta Compton,” a film about the rise of the gangster rap group NWA.
“Knight was angry that he was not compensated for his likeness in the movie,” Barnes’ motion states. It adds that Knight warned the unidentified victim that he was prepared to attack over the film and would target former NWA members Dr. Dre and Ice Cube.
Knight was a key player in the gangster rap scene that flourished in the 1990s. His label once listed Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its artists. Knight lost control of the company after it was forced into bankruptcy.
Knight’s 1994 conviction on a federal firearms charge and a 1995 conviction on two counts of assault with a firearm that led to a lengthy prison sentence are also cited in the prosecutor’s motion.
“Since his release from prison custody, defendant Knight has continued his repugnant life of crime,” the motion states before listing alleged crimes that include battery, criminal threats, extortion and assault.
Knight has complained that he is suffering from complications from his wounds. He told a judge at a hearing earlier this month that he is blind in one eye and has limited vision in his other eye.
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