Marion "Suge" Knight will be tried for murder in Los Angeles even though a key witness is refusing to testify in the case, a judge decided on Tuesday.
The 50-year-old hip hop music mogul has been charged in the death of Terry Carter, 55, who Knight allegedly hit with his pickup truck, along with Cle "Bone" Sloan, in the parking lot of Tam's Burgers on Jan. 29,
according to KCAL-TV, which covered the Tuesday hearing.
During an April hearing, Sloan said he didn't remember much about the January incident and that he wouldn't be used as a "snitch" to convict Knight.
However, Superior Court Judge Stephen Marcus decided on Tuesday to move forward with the trail despite Sloan's apparent lack of cooperation.
Deputy district attorney Cynthia Barnes argued there was still plenty of evidence against Knight to pursue the current charges without Sloan's testimony. In an interview with detectives after the Jan. 29 incident, Sloan told them he had argued with Knight at a film set earlier on the day of the incident.
Knight's new attorney, Thomas Mesereau, argued that it was an "outrage that anyone would be charged with homicide in a case like this,"
according to the City News Service. Mesereau, probably best known for successfully defending the late Michael Jackson on child molestation charges, said there were "some very troubling issues" with the case,
Mesereau said he would ask Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen to reduce Knight's bail at a hearing on July 17. Knight is currently being held on $10 million bond.
Knight also is involved in a robbery case with comedian Micah "Katt" Williams. The two will face a hearing on Sept. 17 to determine if there is enough evidence for them to stand trial on the charges.
Both are charged with taking the camera of a celebrity photographer in Beverly Hills last September and could face up to seven years in prison if convicted,
noted Rolling Stone magazine.
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