On Wednesday (June 22), a mistrial was reportedly declared in the wrongful death suit brought against Suge Knight after jurors announced they could not come up with the nine votes needed to reach a verdict in the case. Brought by relatives of Terry Carter, a man run over and killed by the former Death Row Records founder with a pickup truck in Compton in 2015, the lawsuit sought $81 million to be paid out to the 55-year-old’s family. According to CBS News, the jurors deadlocked 7-5 in favor of finding Knight liable. Compton Superior Court Judge Thomas Long took the action by declaring the mistrial. Knight testified on a virtual basis during the civil suit trial.
The plaintiffs in the civil suit, filed in June 2015, are Carter's widow, Lillian, and daughters Crystal and Nekaya. Last week, a lawyer representing the widow and two daughters of Carter told a Los Angeles County jury Knight should be forced to pay the $81 million to Carter’s family, which was the first time a dollar figure was put on their loss. In September 2018, Knight, 56, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter for killing Carter after an argument near a promotional shoot for the film Straight Outta Compton on January 29, 2015.
The 56-year-old former music industry executive is serving 28 years in prison for Carter’s voluntary manslaughter via a deal that avoided a looming trial. “Dying on the concrete floor alone at Tam’s Burgers was not a natural death. He was taken from these three women,” Behringer said, pointing at Carter’s wife and two daughters who were in the courtroom. Behringer said each woman deserves a million dollars for each of the 27 years that Carter likely would have lived had Knight killed him. “Nobody’s comfortable talking about money. But that’s what we have to do.” Prosecutors initially charged Knight with murder, claiming he intentionally ran down Carter in the parking lot of Tam’s Burgers on January 29, 2015.
The incident happened amid a fight with a man named Cle “Bone” Sloan, a one time gang member working security for Straight Outta Compton.
