Suge Knight has been ordered to stand trial for murder and attempted murder.
The 49-year-old Death Row Records co-founder was involved in a lethal hit-and-run on January 29, which resulted in severe injuries for Cle ‘Bone’ Sloan and the death of 55-year-old man Terry Carter.
Knight has been in jail while preliminary hearings on whether there is enough evidence to take him to trial have been taking place.
And according to Fox News, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen ruled on April 16 there is indeed sufficient evidence to pursue the matter in court further, so Knight will stand trial for the murder of Carter and the attempted murder of Sloan.
This news comes after Sloan testified in court earlier in the week, only to later recant the statements he shared with investigators, the Los Angeles Times reports.
TMZ claims Judge Coen reduced Knight’s bail from $25 million to $10 million Thursday morning. Knight’s lawyer Matthew Fletcher tells the website this significant reduction means the rap mogul can now post bail as early as today.
Also, although the magistrate ordered a trial for charges of murder and attempted murder will indeed be pursued, Judge Coen allegedly dropped one of the hit-and-run counts attached to the case.
Knight’s defence throughout preliminary hearings has been he drove erratically in an attempt to escape an assault from Sloan and Carter, claiming he feared for his life because both men had guns.
But Judge Coen completely disregarded this self-defence claim in Thursday’s court hearing.
"It appears to me it was not an attempt to escape, but an attempt to murder," the magistrate noted, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The case continues.
