Report: Suge Knight loses his 15th defense lawyer in ongoing murder case
The delay in his trial continues.
As reported, a judge released one of Suge Knight’s defense lawyers on Friday (March 23), with the dismissal marking the 15th attorney who was asked to leave his ongoing case for one reason or another.
Judge Ronald S. Coen released attorney Dominque Banos from Knight’s legal counsel, citing a conflict of interest. As previously reported, two of his previous lawyers were dismissed after being implicated in a witness tampering indictment. Banos reportedly was cited as being a target in the tampering incident as well, resulting in the decision to dismiss him from the case.
Knight currently is facing charges of murder and attempted murder after a fatal hit-and-run incident took the life of Heavyweight Records co-founder Terry Carter in 2015. He also has been indicted for allegedly making death threats to the director of Straight Outta Compton. Knight has pled not guilty to each charge and is currently facing life in prison if convicted.
Additionally, in early February of this year, Knight’s fiancée Toi-Lin Kelly was sentenced to three years in jail for a probation violation that was linked to his pending murder trial.
As reported, the judge approved Robert DeBlanc as Knight’s sixteenth attorney in the case. The public defender will serve on an interim basis, as Knight claimed that he has already privately attained other representation. However, he did not disclose any more information to the court about the matter.
The judge also ordered the parties back in court on April 23, during which he will likely set a new trial date.