A Superior Court judge in California ruled today that rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight will stand trial for murder and attempted murder for an incident in January in which Knight drove a pickup truck over two men, killing one.  The ruling came at the conclusion of a hearing that focused on a statement made by the surviving victim, Cle "Bone" Sloan, who testified earlier this week that he didn't remember the events of January 29th, contradicting a statement he made the night of the deadly encounter.  Prosecutors allege that Knight ran over the two men in a Compton restaurant's parking lot with the intent of doing harm.  Knight's attorneys, on the other hand, contend that he was under attack from the two men and accidentally ran over them while trying to flee.  The judge in the case also reduced Knight's bail, from $25 million down to $10 million.

Sloan's unwillingness to testify against Knight illustrates the difficulty prosecutors will have in earning a guilty verdict, confirming his reputation for intimidating witnesses.  "I will not be used to send Suge Knight to prison," Sloan noted while on the stand, while also making it clear that the only reason he took the stand was that he had been subpoenaed.  Knight's lengthy criminal history is littered with similar cases in which he was charged but never convicted because witnesses refused to testify.  Insiders say that Knight's impending trial will likely hinge on whether the defense is successful in getting Sloan's statement from the night of the incident dismissed.

Suge Knight rose to prominence in the early 1990s as the head of Death Row Records, the record label most responsible for the gangster rap scene.  Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur all released albums on Death Row in the 90s, before the label went bankrupt and Knight lost control of the company.  Knight has previous felony convictions for armed robbery and assault with a gun, but is facing life in prison as a possible punishment if he's found guilty of murder.