Former US rap mogul Marion “Suge” Knight has pleaded no contest to a voluntary manslaughter charge over a hit-and-run incident in 2015.<\/p>\n
The Death Row Records founder made the plea to avoid charges of murdering one man and attempting to murder a second with his pick-up truck in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
He will be formally sentenced to 28 years in prison in October.<\/p>\n
His record label helped launch the careers of artists including Dr Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.<\/p>\n
Under Californian state law, a no contest plea is the legal equivalent of a guilty plea.<\/p>\n
As part of the agreement, the murder charges against Knight, 53, will be dismissed by prosecutors, along with separate criminal cases charging him with robbery and making criminal threats.<\/p>\n
The deal calls for Knight to serve 22 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter with a further six years added because of the US “three-strikes” law relating to repeated violations.<\/p>\n
Had Knight been found guilty of murder as originally charged, he would have faced life in prison, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
The charge relates to an incident in January 2015 in Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. Knight was accused of deliberately running over two men with his pick-up truck before fleeing the scene.<\/p>\n
One of the victims, Terry Carter, died of his injuries while the other, Cle “Bone” Sloan, was seriously injured.<\/p>\n
Footage of the incident captured by security cameras show Knight’s vehicle pulling up to a drive-in burger stand, with one of the victims approaching the driver’s side window. A struggle then ensues.<\/p>\n
Knight’s truck is seen going into reverse, throwing the man to the ground. It then moves forward, driving over his legs and slams into the other victim, who was killed.<\/p>\n
Knight turned himself in to authorities a day after the incident. His attorneys had said he was acting in self-defence and was fleeing armed attackers when he ran over Mr Carter and Mr Sloan.<\/p>\n
Mr Sloan has denied claims he was carrying a gun during the confrontation.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"