A new wrinkle in rap producer Marion “Suge” Knight’s ongoing murder trial appeared this week — and this time it involves his attorneys.
According to the Independent, two lawyers who formerly represented Knight were arrested on suspicion of acting as accessories after the fact following prior allegations that they attempted to bribe eyewitnesses central to the case against the Death Row Records founder.
Both Matthew Fletcher and Thaddeus Culpepper served as defense attorneys in the trial involving a 2015 death.
The defendant is charged with intentionally plowing into two men, Terry Carter and Cle “Bone” Sloan, with his vehicle while filming an advertisement in L.A. for the feature film “Straight Outta Compton.” Carter died as a result of injuries sustained in the incident.
Knight is on trial for one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he acted in self-defense.
A court document filed in August by the prosecution claimed Knight and his lawyers had talked about paying off witnesses in the trial.
Recorded phone conversations dating back to 2015 allegedly reveal multiple individuals discussed paying witnesses to testify that the victims were armed.
It is unclear from a New York Daily News report whether those allegations are directly tied to the arrests of Fletcher and Culpepper.
The attorneys each denied the allegations and were arrested with bail set at $1 million.
Both were released Friday after prosecutors said they needed more time to file charges in what has become a “complex” case.
[Featured image: Matthew Fletcher and Marion “Suge” Knight/Associated Press]