Suge Knight Sentenced To 28 Years In Prison

Marion “Suge” Knight has been sentenced to 28 years in state prison. The sentencing took place Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles court hearing and is the result of him killing businessman Terry Carter and injuring another outside a Compton burger stand in 2015.

The former music mogul struck a plea deal with prosecutors last month, few days before he was to have stood trial for murder and attempted murder.

Knight pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and agreed to a prison sentence of 28 years. He is 53 years old.
During the hearing, members of Carter’s family read emotional letters to the court. Carter’s daughter, Crystal, who called Knight ‘a disgusting, selfish disgrace to the human species,’ shared sweet memories of her father and why Knight should be punished for his crime. She stated,

As previously reported, in January 2015, Suge got into a fight with a longtime rival, Cle “Bone” Sloan, a consultant on the N.W.A. biopic “Straight Outta Compton.” Surveillance video revealed footage of Knight backing his truck into Sloan, who was injured, then drove it forward into businessman Terry Carter, who died from his injuries. Knight’s attorneys have said it was an act of self-defense.

Voluntary manslaughter would normally bring a sentence of 11 years in prison, but Knight’s conviction along with his previous felonies triggers California’s three strikes law. That doubles the manslaughter sentence and adds an extra six years.

The agreement also clears Knight in two other cases, both from 2014. He was accused of stealing a camera from a woman and of sending threatening text messages to “Straight Outta Compton” director F. Gary Gray.