Suge Knight's lawyer has been removed from the rap mogul's murder case after being indicted on felony charges, the New York Daily News reported.
Knight has been behind bars since he was arrested early in 2015 on charges of murder and attempted murder after allegedly running over two men, one of whom died, outside a Compton burger stand, USA Today noted.
There have been numerous delays in the trial, which has seen the Death Row Records co-founder changing attorneys several times and making various trips to court for hearings.
Now, with just weeks before his trial, Knight was grilled by an L.A. judge wanting to know how he planned to move forward following the charges against his attorney Thaddeus Culpepper.
Last month, when investigations into the lawyer were first launched, Knight wavered his right to a lawyer without potential conflicts of interest so that he could keep Culpepper as his legal representative, but Judge Ronald S. Coen overrode this decision during a tense hearing on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Culpepper was indicted last week along with former Knight attorney, Matthew Fletcher, for witness tampering after allegedly arranging for a potential witness to deliver a false testimony at the trial, The Hollywood Reporter said.
The witnesses' statements, which would have placed weapons at the crime scene, would support Knight's claims of acting in self-defense.
Culpepper has denied any wrongdoing. On Monday Knight announced that the attorney was “off the case,” according to The New York Daily News.
A hearing has been set for March 23, where Knight will provide details about his new counsel.
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