Suge Knight’s Attempt To Overturn 28-Year Sentence Deemed ‘Not Sincere,’ Request Denied

Knight will remain in prison after his attempt to overturn his 28-year sentence was denied.

Suge Knight’s bid to overturn his 28-year prison sentence in his hit-and-run manslaughter case has been denied.

Los Angeles County Judge Laura F. Priver “summarily denied” Knight’s request March 4, stating that it was both untimely and based on evidence deemed “not sincere,” Rolling Stone reports. The Death Row Records founder claimed his sentence was “illegally imposed.”

However, Judge Priver stated that Knight waited too long to file the writ of habeas corpus and also ruled that he lacked the grounds to support it. Knight filed his petition in March 2023, citing issues with his permanent prison housing, lack of assistance from his previous lawyer, the COVID-19 pandemic, and his blindness in one eye as obstacles. However, given the other motions Knight had been able to file, the judge was not persuaded by his argument.

“It is clear that the petitioner was not as isolated or as helpless to act as he wishes this court to believe. He was able to file the writ in a timely manner had he chosen to do so,” Priver wrote.

Knight’s longtime lawyer, David Kenner, has criticized the ruling and vowed to file an immediate writ of mandate with the appellate court, requesting a hearing on the underlying facts. He argues that Knight was entitled to an evidentiary hearing before any decision was made.

“I find this decision to be shocking and unconscionable,” Knight’s longtime lawyer David Kenner said. “I think the court has grossly erred in the decision it rendered. I think it is legally improper and the court did not follow the law.”

He continued. “She’s deciding herself that she believes the [district attorney] and disbelieves Mr. Knight. It’s a deprivation of every constitutional right he has, and that frankly is nothing new in his case. This case is the worst abuse of prosecutorial and judicial interference with the rights of the accused I’ve ever seen. He had less rights to be in contact with the lawyer of his choice than the people in Guantanamo Bay.”

Knight is currently serving a 28-year sentence in San Diego after pleading no contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge related to a 2015 fatal hit-and-run. The incident occurred at Tam’s Burgers in Compton, California, where local businessman Terry Carter lost his life.

Prosecutors argued that Knight was “angry” on the day of the hit-and-run after being turned away from a meeting earlier that day with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube regarding the movie “Straight Outta Compton.” The former record exec was reportedly seeking compensation for his portrayal in the film.

Initially, prosecutors charged Knight with murder, alleging he reversed his Ford Raptor truck, shifted gears intentionally, and hit the gas to run down Carter. Knight accepted a plea deal in September 2018 and has since claimed his public defender at the time forced him to. His attempt to overturn his sentence remains ongoing while he remains behind bars.