Suge Knight’s Attorney Is Appalled By Court’s Move To Uphold His 28-Year Sentence

Suge Knight may be in the news these days for his wild music industry stories, but that’s not all he has on his plate. He recently tried to overturn his 28-year prison sentence for a voluntary manslaughter conviction over a fatal 2015 hit-and-run. According to Rolling Stone, a judge denied this motion in court via a ruling handed down on Tuesday (March 4) due to the motion’s untimely and “not sincere” nature. Judge Laura F. Priver “summarily denied” the request for a writ of habeas corpus (a claim of unlawful imprisonment) due to the shaky legal ground in her view.

Back in March of 2023, Suge Knight explained his overturn motion via a petition and subsequent filings, claiming that the COVID-19 pandemic, partial blindness, poor legal help, and housing problems delayed his motion. “It is clear that the petitioner was not as isolated or as helpless to act as he wishes this court to believe,” Judge Priver posited. “He was able to file the writ in a timely manner had he chosen to do so.” The Death Row boss’ lawyer was not happy with this.

“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,” Suge Knight’s attorney David Kenner reportedly stated to Rolling Stone. In fact, he also reportedly called the move “shocking and unconscionable,” pointing to his client’s right to an evidentiary hearing. “She is unilaterally deciding to believe the [district attorney] while disregarding Mr. Knight’s account,” Kenner continued. “This is a violation of every constitutional right he has, which, unfortunately, is nothing new in his case. […] This case represents the most egregious abuse of prosecutorial and judicial interference with an accused person’s rights that I have ever witnessed. He had fewer rights to communicate with the lawyer of his choice than detainees at Guantanamo Bay.”

For those unaware, Suge Knight went to prison in 2018 after he pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter. This was in connection to a fatal hit-and-run incident in 2015 in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers in Compton. He claimed self-defense, but his previous felonies and then-present murder charges led him to a plea deal to avoid the possibility of a life sentence.