On Wednesday, a judge declared a mistrial in the 2015 wrongful death lawsuit against Suge Knight for the death of Terry Carter.
As Rolling Stone reports, the jury was deadlocked 7-5 in favor of Carter’s wife who brought the lawsuit against Suge Knight. However, a civil suit needs nine juror votes in order for a judgment to be made. After deliberations began last week, jurors determined on Wednesday that after not even half an hour that a mistrial should be declared.
“It was intense,” the jury foreman said. “It was so intense, someone walked by the jury room and thought a real fight had broken out. There was yelling.”
The lawsuit was bruoght forward by Carters widow Lillian and his daughters Crystal and Nekaya. Wednesday marked the first time in the trial that the Carter family’s lawyer brought up the $81 million dollar amount that the Lillian, Crystal and Nekaya were seeking.
The Carters plan to request a new trial date at the follow-up hearing next month. Crystal Carter spoke to the outlet, saying that despite the outcome, it was good to know that the majority of jurors sided with them.
“It’s unfortunate, but the jury worked very hard. It feels good to know we were the majority, We look forward to trying the case again to get victory for my dad. To get justice.”
Even though the lawsuit against Suge Knight resulted in a mistrial, the Death Row co-founder and former CEO is still serving 28 years for the 2015 death of Terry Carter. In 2018, Knight accepted a plea deal that lessened the charge to voluntary manslaughter.
