A judge sentenced former rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight to 28 years in prison for running down and killing a man whose loved ones in court described him as a deeply devoted family man and peacemaker in his community.
The courtroom on Thursday was filled by nearly two dozen relatives of 55-year-old Terry Carter, including a 96-year-old aunt who like many of them cried and consoled one another.
"He was so much more than the person the defendant killed with his truck," said Carter's sister Jessica Carter, one of eight family members who spoke in court.
Knight pleaded no contest two weeks ago to voluntary manslaughter on the eve of a trial on murder and attempted murder charges that could have resulted in a life sentence if convicted.
He wore a large cross and orange jail attire during Thursday's sentencing, which drew to a close a nearly four year court saga over the fatal 2015 confrontation.
He did not look at the family as they spoke of their sorrow and anger.
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The victim's daughter Crystal Carter called him a "low-life thug," ''career criminal" and "a disgusting, selfish disgrace to the human species." "I ask that you sentence this unrepentant, remorseless, cold, callous menace to society to the maximum of 28 years," she said.
Another daughter, Nekaya Carter, said she hopes that the end of the courtroom saga can bring her some peace.
"I wanted justice for my dad and now we've finally got it, kind of," she said.
She then addressed Knight directly despite the judge's instructions not to. "My dad can finally rest in peace while you live out the rest of your life in prison."
In January, 2015, Knight had been fighting with a longtime rival, Cle "Bone" Sloan, through the window of his pickup truck outside the burger stand near where promotional filming was being done for the N.W.A. biopic "Straight Outta Compton."
"This wasn't no cat who went after nobody," Carter's brother-in-law Damu Visha said in court. "He helped people."