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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
No monster utes, thanks: Compact Japanese trucks are more than oh-kei
Getting hold of a kei truck isn't as simple as going to a traditional car dealerships and ordering one. Technically, they aren't available in Australia. Instead, kei trucks are part of a category known as 'grey imports', which means they are brought in to the country privately before being certified to drive on local roads. Big utes might be popular, said Narayan, but they weren't always very useful for their number one function: work. It's not an unusual sight to see a Dodge Ram or Ford Raptor without a scratch. At prices hovering around $100,000 for those premium models, it's perhaps understandable why. 'You can't do anything with them [large utes], the trays are too small. People are looking for something they can thrash and give a hard time,' Narayan said. 'You never see a neat five-year-old wheelbarrow.' It probably goes without saying that kei trucks don't come with much grunt under the hood. The three-cylinder 660cc engines are tiny compared to the V6s and turbo diesels in the bigger utes. But that seems to suit kei truck enthusiasts who don't need or want more power. 'In a world where every vehicle comes loaded with features and oversized everything, there's something refreshing about driving something so slow and basic,' said Gregory MacCallum-Le, owner of a 2019 Honda Acty. The top speed of 120km/h is not for demons, but it does bring further economic benefits, however. A full tank of a little over 30 litres of fuel is enough to drive 500 kilometres, said owner Jason O'Callaghan, who transports gear for his gaming experience business, Events Engine. Weighing in at just 700 kilograms means the tyres don't wear out quickly either, he said. 'As far as keeping costs down, it's wonderful,' he said. For owners like Stephen Mason, who runs a circular economy social enterprise called Cirque Du Soil, kei trucks agree with his philosophical approach to consumption. Electric vehicles were not always the best choice, he said, as emissions were high during manufacturing and their batteries required rare earth minerals. 'Any vehicle is going to have an environmental impact,' he said. 'We wanted to have the most efficient vehicle from cradle to grave. There was no better option than the kei truck.' With a width of 1.5 metres and length of 3.4 metres, a kei truck's size is comparable to a compact car. This made them very manoeuvrable for city driving, Mason said. 'There is nothing easier to park,' he said. While they appear to be best suited for doing work in the inner suburbs, farmers have reportedly taken a shine to them too as they have the option of four-wheel-drive. Travis Macdonald, the general manager of Davey Motor Group in Geelong, which sells up to 600 kei trucks each year, said the low tray height made them a popular alternative to quad bikes. Macdonald said kei trucks were a window into the many vehicle models that never reach Australia because it is a small market. Loading 'We get the opportunity to bring these different vehicles in that Australia really missed out on,' he said. While kei trucks might be a relatively rare sight on the streets, Narayan said smaller utes used to be much more common in Australia before Americanised pick-ups took over. One example was the Subaru Brumby, which was a popular model in Australia in the 1970s and '80s.
The Age
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Age
No monster utes, thanks: Compact Japanese trucks are more than oh-kei
Getting hold of a kei truck isn't as simple as going to a traditional car dealerships and ordering one. Technically, they aren't available in Australia. Instead, kei trucks are part of a category known as 'grey imports', which means they are brought in to the country privately before being certified to drive on local roads. Big utes might be popular, said Narayan, but they weren't always very useful for their number one function: work. It's not an unusual sight to see a Dodge Ram or Ford Raptor without a scratch. At prices hovering around $100,000 for those premium models, it's perhaps understandable why. 'You can't do anything with them [large utes], the trays are too small. People are looking for something they can thrash and give a hard time,' Narayan said. 'You never see a neat five-year-old wheelbarrow.' It probably goes without saying that kei trucks don't come with much grunt under the hood. The three-cylinder 660cc engines are tiny compared to the V6s and turbo diesels in the bigger utes. But that seems to suit kei truck enthusiasts who don't need or want more power. 'In a world where every vehicle comes loaded with features and oversized everything, there's something refreshing about driving something so slow and basic,' said Gregory MacCallum-Le, owner of a 2019 Honda Acty. The top speed of 120km/h is not for demons, but it does bring further economic benefits, however. A full tank of a little over 30 litres of fuel is enough to drive 500 kilometres, said owner Jason O'Callaghan, who transports gear for his gaming experience business, Events Engine. Weighing in at just 700 kilograms means the tyres don't wear out quickly either, he said. 'As far as keeping costs down, it's wonderful,' he said. For owners like Stephen Mason, who runs a circular economy social enterprise called Cirque Du Soil, kei trucks agree with his philosophical approach to consumption. Electric vehicles were not always the best choice, he said, as emissions were high during manufacturing and their batteries required rare earth minerals. 'Any vehicle is going to have an environmental impact,' he said. 'We wanted to have the most efficient vehicle from cradle to grave. There was no better option than the kei truck.' With a width of 1.5 metres and length of 3.4 metres, a kei truck's size is comparable to a compact car. This made them very manoeuvrable for city driving, Mason said. 'There is nothing easier to park,' he said. While they appear to be best suited for doing work in the inner suburbs, farmers have reportedly taken a shine to them too as they have the option of four-wheel-drive. Travis Macdonald, the general manager of Davey Motor Group in Geelong, which sells up to 600 kei trucks each year, said the low tray height made them a popular alternative to quad bikes. Macdonald said kei trucks were a window into the many vehicle models that never reach Australia because it is a small market. Loading 'We get the opportunity to bring these different vehicles in that Australia really missed out on,' he said. While kei trucks might be a relatively rare sight on the streets, Narayan said smaller utes used to be much more common in Australia before Americanised pick-ups took over. One example was the Subaru Brumby, which was a popular model in Australia in the 1970s and '80s.
The Advertiser
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Kogan.com is giving away a Ford Raptor or $100,000 for $1. But is there a catch?
These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through. You can't buy a lot for a dollar these days. Maybe a banana, or half a lukewarm servo coffee. But, what if you could get more bang for your buck? In a rather chaotic and ingenious move, retailer has launched a new promotion this end of financial year that gives its members the chance to win a Ford Raptor or $100,000 in cash for as little as a gold dollar coin. The entry requirement? A Kogan FIRST membership, which currently starts at an entry-level $1 tier for new users, with the major prize being drawn on July 2, 2025, and entries closing at 11:59pm AEST on July 1. In addition to the grand prize, Kogan is regularly giving away heaps of small prizes including home theatre systems (85" Kogan TV, Soundbar, Wall Mount), gold bullion, credit and much more, with all draws scheduled across a 12-month campaign window through to July 2025. To be eligible, users must sign up for any tier of Kogan FIRST membership before the July 1 deadline. Memberships are currently available at four price points including $1, $9, $49, and $99. For a limited time, Australians can sign up for any of these Kogan FIRST membership tiers and receive bonus entries into the prize pool. For instance, new sign-ups before June 3 receive 10x bonus entries. This multiplier decreases each week as the draw approaches, ending with a standard entry for those who join in the final 48 hours. Kogan FIRST is Kogan's membership program. Members receive free shipping on eligible items, discounted prices on selected products, exclusive access to member-only deals, the ability to earn double Qantas Points on purchases, and automatic entry into these prize draws throughout the membership period. Once joined, Aussies remain eligible for all draws through to July 1, 2025, as long as their membership is still active. To date, FIRST members have already won over $3 million in cash, cars and prizes. The idea is that the longer you're a member, the better chance you have at winning a prize! Kogan's latest campaign is a clear attempt to grow its membership by offering a high-value incentive at a very low entry point. The offering is legitimate, clearly structured, and open to all new and existing Kogan FIRST members. Whether it's worth it will depend on your appetite for giveaways and interest in platform. But if you're already a customer - or simply curious - it's one of the more straightforward sweepstakes currently running in Australia. Plus, it's not bad for just a dollar. For all Kogan FIRST MAX T&Cs visit This competition is run by Kogan Australia - NSW Authority No. TP/02650. NSW Notification No: NTP/13212. ACT TP 25/01056.1. SA Permit No: T25/772. These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through. You can't buy a lot for a dollar these days. Maybe a banana, or half a lukewarm servo coffee. But, what if you could get more bang for your buck? In a rather chaotic and ingenious move, retailer has launched a new promotion this end of financial year that gives its members the chance to win a Ford Raptor or $100,000 in cash for as little as a gold dollar coin. The entry requirement? A Kogan FIRST membership, which currently starts at an entry-level $1 tier for new users, with the major prize being drawn on July 2, 2025, and entries closing at 11:59pm AEST on July 1. In addition to the grand prize, Kogan is regularly giving away heaps of small prizes including home theatre systems (85" Kogan TV, Soundbar, Wall Mount), gold bullion, credit and much more, with all draws scheduled across a 12-month campaign window through to July 2025. To be eligible, users must sign up for any tier of Kogan FIRST membership before the July 1 deadline. Memberships are currently available at four price points including $1, $9, $49, and $99. For a limited time, Australians can sign up for any of these Kogan FIRST membership tiers and receive bonus entries into the prize pool. For instance, new sign-ups before June 3 receive 10x bonus entries. This multiplier decreases each week as the draw approaches, ending with a standard entry for those who join in the final 48 hours. Kogan FIRST is Kogan's membership program. Members receive free shipping on eligible items, discounted prices on selected products, exclusive access to member-only deals, the ability to earn double Qantas Points on purchases, and automatic entry into these prize draws throughout the membership period. Once joined, Aussies remain eligible for all draws through to July 1, 2025, as long as their membership is still active. To date, FIRST members have already won over $3 million in cash, cars and prizes. The idea is that the longer you're a member, the better chance you have at winning a prize! Kogan's latest campaign is a clear attempt to grow its membership by offering a high-value incentive at a very low entry point. The offering is legitimate, clearly structured, and open to all new and existing Kogan FIRST members. Whether it's worth it will depend on your appetite for giveaways and interest in platform. But if you're already a customer - or simply curious - it's one of the more straightforward sweepstakes currently running in Australia. Plus, it's not bad for just a dollar. For all Kogan FIRST MAX T&Cs visit This competition is run by Kogan Australia - NSW Authority No. TP/02650. NSW Notification No: NTP/13212. ACT TP 25/01056.1. SA Permit No: T25/772. These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through. You can't buy a lot for a dollar these days. Maybe a banana, or half a lukewarm servo coffee. But, what if you could get more bang for your buck? In a rather chaotic and ingenious move, retailer has launched a new promotion this end of financial year that gives its members the chance to win a Ford Raptor or $100,000 in cash for as little as a gold dollar coin. The entry requirement? A Kogan FIRST membership, which currently starts at an entry-level $1 tier for new users, with the major prize being drawn on July 2, 2025, and entries closing at 11:59pm AEST on July 1. In addition to the grand prize, Kogan is regularly giving away heaps of small prizes including home theatre systems (85" Kogan TV, Soundbar, Wall Mount), gold bullion, credit and much more, with all draws scheduled across a 12-month campaign window through to July 2025. To be eligible, users must sign up for any tier of Kogan FIRST membership before the July 1 deadline. Memberships are currently available at four price points including $1, $9, $49, and $99. For a limited time, Australians can sign up for any of these Kogan FIRST membership tiers and receive bonus entries into the prize pool. For instance, new sign-ups before June 3 receive 10x bonus entries. This multiplier decreases each week as the draw approaches, ending with a standard entry for those who join in the final 48 hours. Kogan FIRST is Kogan's membership program. Members receive free shipping on eligible items, discounted prices on selected products, exclusive access to member-only deals, the ability to earn double Qantas Points on purchases, and automatic entry into these prize draws throughout the membership period. Once joined, Aussies remain eligible for all draws through to July 1, 2025, as long as their membership is still active. To date, FIRST members have already won over $3 million in cash, cars and prizes. The idea is that the longer you're a member, the better chance you have at winning a prize! Kogan's latest campaign is a clear attempt to grow its membership by offering a high-value incentive at a very low entry point. The offering is legitimate, clearly structured, and open to all new and existing Kogan FIRST members. Whether it's worth it will depend on your appetite for giveaways and interest in platform. But if you're already a customer - or simply curious - it's one of the more straightforward sweepstakes currently running in Australia. Plus, it's not bad for just a dollar. For all Kogan FIRST MAX T&Cs visit This competition is run by Kogan Australia - NSW Authority No. TP/02650. NSW Notification No: NTP/13212. ACT TP 25/01056.1. SA Permit No: T25/772. These items are hand-picked to make your shopping experience easier. ACM may be provided with compensation from affiliate partners if you click through. You can't buy a lot for a dollar these days. Maybe a banana, or half a lukewarm servo coffee. But, what if you could get more bang for your buck? In a rather chaotic and ingenious move, retailer has launched a new promotion this end of financial year that gives its members the chance to win a Ford Raptor or $100,000 in cash for as little as a gold dollar coin. The entry requirement? A Kogan FIRST membership, which currently starts at an entry-level $1 tier for new users, with the major prize being drawn on July 2, 2025, and entries closing at 11:59pm AEST on July 1. In addition to the grand prize, Kogan is regularly giving away heaps of small prizes including home theatre systems (85" Kogan TV, Soundbar, Wall Mount), gold bullion, credit and much more, with all draws scheduled across a 12-month campaign window through to July 2025. To be eligible, users must sign up for any tier of Kogan FIRST membership before the July 1 deadline. Memberships are currently available at four price points including $1, $9, $49, and $99. For a limited time, Australians can sign up for any of these Kogan FIRST membership tiers and receive bonus entries into the prize pool. For instance, new sign-ups before June 3 receive 10x bonus entries. This multiplier decreases each week as the draw approaches, ending with a standard entry for those who join in the final 48 hours. Kogan FIRST is Kogan's membership program. Members receive free shipping on eligible items, discounted prices on selected products, exclusive access to member-only deals, the ability to earn double Qantas Points on purchases, and automatic entry into these prize draws throughout the membership period. Once joined, Aussies remain eligible for all draws through to July 1, 2025, as long as their membership is still active. To date, FIRST members have already won over $3 million in cash, cars and prizes. The idea is that the longer you're a member, the better chance you have at winning a prize! Kogan's latest campaign is a clear attempt to grow its membership by offering a high-value incentive at a very low entry point. The offering is legitimate, clearly structured, and open to all new and existing Kogan FIRST members. Whether it's worth it will depend on your appetite for giveaways and interest in platform. But if you're already a customer - or simply curious - it's one of the more straightforward sweepstakes currently running in Australia. Plus, it's not bad for just a dollar. For all Kogan FIRST MAX T&Cs visit This competition is run by Kogan Australia - NSW Authority No. TP/02650. NSW Notification No: NTP/13212. ACT TP 25/01056.1. SA Permit No: T25/772.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Eight-year sentence in fatal Temple drunk driving crash
Temple, Tx (FOX 44) – A 48-year-old Temple man has been sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with a crash that killed 59-year-old Margaret Flood. Jose Ramon Solis had been charged with intoxication manslaughter following the February 4, 2023 crash. Solis was arrest five days later and indicted on the charge in June 2023. Flood was killed in the crash that occurred at the intersection of North 3rd Street and Upshaw Avenue in Temple. A Ford Raptor collided with a Chevrolet Trailblazer, with the driver of the Trailblazer trapped in her vehicle and later pronounced dead. The driver of the Raptor was identified as Solis, who was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries following the crash. Witnesses told police the Raptor hit the Trailblazer at high speed as the Trailblazer was stopped at a stop sign. Man stabbed in back with scissors, woman arrested An arrest affidavit stated that an officer interviewed Solis at the hospital, where a warrant was served for his blood. The affidavit stated that after being advised of his rights, Solis agreed to talk with the officer. He admitted to consuming several beers, and was on his way home. The officer noted that he was driving in the opposite direction of his home. After being medically cleared, Solis was transported to the Bell County Jail. The affidavit stated officers at the crash scene interviewed three witnesses. One advised he saw the Raptor shortly before the crash coming out of the grass from Lamar Middle School at a high rate of speed and pulling in front of him. The affidavit quoted him as saying the Raptor swerved back and forth across two lanes, jumped curbs and medians, hit a sign on one median, ran through a red light, then collided with the Trailblazer. The affidavit also stated emergency medical service personnel advised they could detect the smell of alcohol coming from Solis. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Suge Knight's Retrial Rollercoaster: How Did We Get Here?
When Suge Knight sped away from Tam's Burgers in Compton, California, on Jan. 29, 2015, he left two men lying on the asphalt behind him. He had just shifted gears and barreled over the pair with his two-ton Ford Raptor truck. One of the men, Terry Carter, would die from multiple blunt force injuries within the hour. The other man, Cle 'Bone' Sloan, was rushed to a hospital with two crushed ankles and a serious head laceration. Knight abandoned the truck and turned himself in for questioning at 3 a.m. the next day. He was arrested and charged with murder. More from Rolling Stone Wife of Weezer Bassist Seen Holding, 'Firing' Gun in Video Released by LAPD Daddy Yankee Seeks to Dissolve Companies With Ex-Wife After Contentious Divorce Suge Knight's Wrongful-Death Retrial Officially Ran Off the Rails Today The violent incident devastated Carter's family. A respected businessman who built lowrider cars and co-founded a record label with Ice Cube in 1998, Carter, 55, was a doting husband and father, relatives said. He once fully remodeled his daughter Crystal's bedroom, including the installation of a fireplace, to keep her from moving out when she turned 18. After nearly 2,000 mourners packed his funeral, his family was left with a 10-year legal nightmare and a seemingly endless calendar of criminal and civil proceedings. Knight, now 60, quickly proclaimed his innocence, saying he was the victim of an ambush. He claimed Sloan, who had been working as a 'technical advisor' on the N.W.A biopic Straight Outta Compton, had threatened him with a gun. An actor and anti-violence activist who appeared in Training Day with Denzel Washington, Sloan denied the claim. After three years contesting his charges, Knight accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 28 years in prison. (He would later seek to overturn the conviction.) Meanwhile, a trial over a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Carter's family ended with a deadlocked jury. On the eve of a retrial this month, Knight would fight with his longtime lawyer, David Kenner, in open court and scuttle a last-minute deal. The judge overseeing Knight's retrial says the 10-year-old case is the oldest on his docket. Kenner, now 82 years old, has asked to withdraw, citing a mysterious conflict with Knight, who's refusing to let him quit. At a hearing set for Tuesday, Judge Thomas Long is expected to face some tough decisions. Knight says he wants a retrial. The Carter family has been waiting a decade for resolution. But Kenner is working against his will, with Knight locked up in a San Diego prison. If Kenner is cut loose, the court will have to figure out what comes next, with the trial clock ticking. So how exactly did we get to this strange place? Here's your cheat sheet on Knight's legal history and the biggest moments leading up to Tuesday's hearing. Knight rose to fame in the 1990s as the CEO of Death Row Records, the label he co-founded with Dr. Dre. He's credited with helping bring West Coast rap to the masses, releasing classics such as Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle and Tupac Shakur's All Eyez on Me. Knight famously clashed with rivals and became known as 'the most feared man in hip-hop.' In 1995, he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a firearm for a 1992 attack on aspiring rappers at a Hollywood studio. He was in the car with Shakur when the rapper was mortally wounded in 1996 in a drive-by shooting Las Vegas. Knight was later sentenced to nine years in state prison for violating his probation after Shakur's death. Prosecutors said surveillance video captured Knight 'clearly' kicking a man named Orlando Anderson numerous times in the head at the MGM Grand casino hours before Shakur was fatally shot. Investigators generally agree Anderson was the gunman who killed Shakur, though he was never charged before his death in 1998. Knight, meanwhile, served his time but would be charged again in three subsequent criminal cases. The first involved the alleged robbery of a female photographer. The second involved Carter's death, while the third, an indictment returned in 2017, linked back to Knight's alleged 'criminal threats' made in 2014 against F. Gary Gray, the director of Straight Outta Compton. In one text, Knight allegedly said he would 'make sure' Gray, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube received their 'hugs' if they didn't meet his demands, prosecutors said. ''Hugs' is street vernacular for harming another individual,' prosecutors wrote in a filing. They said Knight demanded payment for the use of his name and likeness in the film, which chronicled the rise of N.W.A, the group co-founded by Dre, Ice Cube, Eazy-E and Arabian Prince. According to Los Angeles County prosecutors, Knight was angry when he was not included in the planning or production of Straight Outta Compton. They said he didn't like his portrayal as more of a violent enforcer than visionary businessman. On Jan. 29, 2015, Knight arrived at a production office for the movie and asked for a meeting with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. He was turned away and had an initial verbal confrontation with Sloan. A short time later, Knight drove up to the Tam's Burgers in his tricked-out red truck. Surveillance video shows Sloan rushing up to the vehicle on foot and tangling with Knight through the window. Knight reverses the vehicle, knocking Sloan to the ground. Seconds later, Knight's truck races forward again, running over Sloan and mowing down Carter, who was on the sidewalk at that point. Knight fled the scene with Carter and Sloan slumped motionless on the ground. He turned himself in about 12 hours later alongside his first in a long line of defense lawyers. Knight claimed he was the one who was under attack, but a grand jury indicted him on murder and attempted murder charges. He pleaded not guilty on Feb. 3, 2015, the same day paramedics took him to a local hospital in custody for what sources called a 'panic attack.' He later collapsed in court again, and was briefly unconscious, after a judge jacked his bail to $25 million in March 2015. He had a revolving door of lawyers that included Kenner, and later, Michael Jackson's star lawyer, Tom Mesereau. Knight's first major court hearing was in April 2015. Prosecutors' star witness was Sloan, but he quickly turned combative, refusing to even identify Knight in the courtroom. 'Yes, I know Mr. Knight, but that doesn't look like Mr. Knight,' Sloan said, after staring directly at Knight. Asked if he remembered seeing Knight at Tam's the day of the hit-and-run, Sloan replied, 'No, ma'am.' He proclaimed he wasn't a 'snitch' and claimed he had almost no memory of the incident. Once he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, prosecutors granted him immunity. Sloan then, he admitted he was 'very upset' with Knight that day, but claimed their meeting at Tam's was a chance encounter. He denied he had a gun. He said the only thing he was carrying was a two-way radio from the movie set. 'You called it a gun. It was a radio,' he told Knight's lawyer at the time, Matthew Fletcher. For the next three years, Knight cycled through more lawyers and tried in vain to get his charges dropped. After he was indicted in February 2017 for allegedly making the criminal threats against Gray, Knight was facing a combined maximum sentence of 100 years to life if convicted as charged, prosecutors said. While working with a public defender appointed by the court, Knight accepted a plea deal on Sept. 20, 2018. His murder charged was reduced to voluntary manslaughter and his robbery and threats cases were dismissed. A transcript shows Knight answered 'yes' or 'yeah' more than 20 times when asked by the court if he understood the deal and that his no-contest plea was the same as a guilty plea. He was sentenced to 28 years in state prison. 'You callously murdered my dad in cold blood,' Crystal Carter told Knight as she delivered her victim impact statement and called him a 'menace to society.' Carter's widow, Lillian Carter, was too distraught to read her own statement. As she buried her face in her hands, her sister-in-law Jessica Carter read it for her. Lillian said she and Terry were high school sweethearts who went to prom together and reconnected years later to get married. She said they were together 29 years. 'I'm not living. I'm just surviving. This is a nightmare,' she said of losing her husband. 'The defendant complained about not having phone privileges. I only have one recorded phone message that I listen to over and over with a broken heart because I will never hear Terry's voice again. I will never witness Terry smiling at me again. … Terry was a wonderful person and a role model. He was my husband and my best friend. He was exceptional.' Lillian, Crystal and Carter's other daughter, Nekaya, filed their wrongful death lawsuit in June 2015, but it took a backseat to the criminal case for years. Once Knight was convicted, the family pushed for a trial. They claimed Knight intentionally ran over Sloan and Carter in what they described as a 'foreseeable altercation' motivated by 'corporate greed.' They named Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and the movie's studio, Universal, as co-defendants, alleging they all knew about Knight's 'criminal temperament,' his longstanding tensions with Dre, and his objections to not being paid for his life story rights. They also claimed Sloan was hired to stand up to Knight if necessary. 'Defendants decided to fight fire with fire. Defendants needed their own criminal with a violent history who knew Suge, had stood up to him before and would not be intimidated by him,' the lawsuit said. They said Sloan was a well-known member of the Bloods, like Knight, and had a 10-year history of ill will with Knight. A judge dismissed Dre, Cube and NBC Universal early in the process. 'The court cannot fathom how Knight's reckless and allegedly criminal attempt to run over Bone with his truck later in the afternoon was predictable with an 'extraordinarily high degree of foreseeability' such that a duty may be imposed on defendants,' the judge wrote in his 2016 decision dismissing Dre, Cube and NBC Universal from the case. Knight testified for the first time about the Tam's incident on June 8, 2022, when he appeared over a video link from prison at the wrongful death civil trial. Sitting in front of a cinderblock wall and drinking what looked like an iced coffee, Knight gave rambling, often contradictory testimony about his state of mind the day Carter died. He claimed under oath that an unidentified law enforcement officer had told him Dr. Dre wanted him dead and was willing to pay. He said police told him Dre hired the man who shot him seven times at the 1 Oak nighclub five months earlier. Knight said his PTSD over the 2014 shooting kicked in when Sloan allegedly brandished a gun at Tam's, leading him to accidentally run down Carter as he tried to flee. But while Knight's claims about the murder-for-hire plot might appear to support his assertion he feared for his life and acted reasonably, Knight also testified that he didn't actually believe Dr. Dre paid a hitman to kill him. 'Dr. Dre — we've been really good friends for years. Matter of fact, I know his kids, he knows my kids. And I was told that he had paid some guys to harm me,' Knight testified. 'I didn't believe it because authorities do lie. So I went up there [to the production office]. I was going to talk to him and say, 'Hey man, I'm not going to react to what authorities say about you having something to do with me getting shot or paid somebody to get me killed. I just want to make you aware they are saying this and putting it out there.'' Knight claimed he wasn't at the production studio to complain that the movie's script or demand money. He said maybe it would come up — but he mostly wanted a face-to-face with Dre to let him know what police purportedly were saying. He claimed that when he heard Dre and Cube were too 'busy' for a meeting, it wasn't a big deal. He claimed he later got a call from Carter, an old friend known in the area as a peacemaker and that Carter invited him to a special meeting with Dre across the street from Tam's 'to get some things squared away.' He said he was ambushed by Sloan when he arrived. When the murder for hire allegation first surfaced in a court filing from one of Knight's prior lawyers, Dre denied it through his own lawyer. 'Given that Dre has had zero interaction with Suge since leaving Death Row Records in 1996, we hope that Suge's lawyer has lots of malicious prosecution insurance,' Dre's lawyer said. (Dre's representatives did not respond to subsequent requests for comment sent by Rolling Stone during the 2022 trial.) The deadlocked jury seemed to focus on the alleged murder-for-hire plot shortly before reaching the impasse that led to the mistrial. They asked to review Knight's testimony 'where he saw a cancelled check on [the alleged] hit on him by Dre' and 'also his testimony where he said he did not believe Dre put a hit out on him.' The jury foreperson later told Rolling Stone that the deliberations got so heated, someone walking by the room thought a real fight had broken out. 'It was a bunch of foolishness,' juror Roger Stuart said, referring to Knight's answers under oath. 'A lot of the things that came out of his mouth didn't make sense.' Juror Halima Betton says she voted in Knight's favor, even though she found some of his testimony 'a little sketchy.' 'I thought he was acting in self-defense,' she says. 'We can't be inside his head, but in my mind, the situation was a threat, and then it's fight or flight. It was a very tragic outcome. I feel really bad for the ladies.' Though Knight's plea to voluntary manslaughter took place in open court with Knight's repeated confirmation he understood the proceeding, he's now fighting the conviction. In a petition filed in 2023, he said his public defender at the time 'forced' him into the deal because he was not prepared for trial and Knight was facing a possible life sentence. In his petition that he filed himself from prison, Knight said the 28-year prison sentence was unlawful because his 1995 plea deal in the gun assault case included the agreement it wouldn't count as a strike. (The strike is what caused a portion of his sentence to be doubled from 11 to 22 years.) For their part, prosecutors said the sentence was correct and scoffed at his claim it was racially motivated. In a March 4 ruling, Los Angeles County Judge Laura F. Priver 'summarily denied' Knight's request, known as a writ of habeas corpus, saying he took too long to file it and didn't have the grounds to support it either way. Citing court transcripts, she said Knight's court-appointed lawyer represented him adequately, adding that Knight's lawyer had civilian and expert witnesses selected to testify at trial and noted that the voluntary manslaughter deal saved Knight from a murder charge carrying 25 years to life in prison. 'There is no valid evidence that the plea was coerced,' the judge wrote. She said it was 'meaningless' that the jury on the 2022 civil trial failed to reach a verdict. 'There was nothing which can be viewed as 'newly discovered evidence' that arose from the civil matter. The fact that the civil case hung is irrelevant.' Kenner, who stepped in to help Knight with the petition after it was filed, called Judge Priver's decision 'shocking and unconscionable' and said Knight would appeal. '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,' Kenner told Rolling Stone in March. Knight was due to begin his retrial in the civil case on April 7, but at a hearing the week before, Kenner told the court he could no longer represent Knight after he recently learned something 'disturbing' during a phone call with Knight. He declined to elaborate, citing attorney-client privilege, but said he felt 'anxious about being able to competently and energetically try this case.' Knight, meanwhile, said he would not let Kenner go. Judge Thomas Long denied the request, citing the impending trial, but pushed out jury selection another two weeks. On April 21, Kenner again asked to be relieved. Again, Knight and the judge shut him down. A day later, with jury selection about to start, Kenner and a lawyer for the Carter family told the court they had reached a partial settlement overnight. They claimed everyone, including Knight, had agreed to move straight to a damages phase 'without admission of civil or criminal liability,' with the judge deciding possible damages, not a jury. But moments after the judge accepted the stipulation signed by the lawyers and set the trial for damages only for May 27, Knight piped up on his remote connection, a source tells Rolling Stone. Knight refuted Kenner's claim they reached the agreement by phone the night before. 'There was screaming and yelling,' the courtroom source says. A minute order for the hearing stated simply: 'The defendant represents to the court that he does not agree to waive trial by jury.' Kenner again renewed his motion to be relieved as Knight's lawyer. This time, Judge Long 'reserved his ruling' on the matter and set a follow-up hearing for Tuesday. 'The court ordered everyone back next Tuesday, and I plan to be there. I'm given no other choice,' Kenner tells Rolling Stone. Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
