Marion “Suge” Knight is not having a good day, week or year.
The embattled ex-music mogul and current prisoner officially dumped one of his attorneys Wednesday and complained of alleged mistreatment by authorities during his latest court appearance.
Knight attended the hearing in connection with a September 2014 robbery case in which the Death Row Records co-founder and comedian
Knight interrupted the proceedings to bemoan the mandated stretcher-type chair that was used to wheel him into court, according to the LA Times.
“I walk perfectly fine,” Knight complained to the judge, saying he was unnecessarily chained to the contraption and requested that he be allowed to sit in a standard courtroom chair. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies placed Knight in the special chair because of previous statements to authorities that he was paralyzed. He also has a history of collapsing in court.
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the embattled star also officially fired his attorney David Kenner, who was originally retained to represent him in the camera theft case.
“Kenner is fired,” Knight said simply, as he sported eyeglasses, an orange jail-issued ensemble and thermal underwear. While the hip-hop figure didn’t elaborate further, his second attorney, Matthew Fletcher, compared the handling of his client to that of Hannibal Lecter.
Speaking with reporters following the hearing, Fletcher said securing Knight to the wheelchair was reminiscent of the tactics used to restrain
This wouldn’t be Flecther’s first dramatic description of Knight’s treatment behind bars. Last week the attorney claimed that the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles was comparable to military interrogation site Guantanamo Bay.
According to Fletcher, the former rap mogul, who’s been charged with murder and attempted murder stemming from a January car collision in Compton, California, is being detained “virtually incommunicado,” unable to use the phone or receive visits from his family.
Fletcher also claims a potential expert witness in the case has not been allowed to visit Knight, hampering his case.
“If experts can’t speak to him, they can’t do their job. We will never be able to present a defense,” Fletcher said. “This truly should shock people.”
Knight is due back in court on April 13 in connection with the murder case and May 27 regarding the robbery charge.