Suspect In Cosby Case Was Arrested Earlier

The teenager charged with killing Bill Cosby’s son pleaded guilty to marijuana possession just hours before his arrest in the murder, court records show.

Mikail Markhasev, 18, pleaded guilty to drug possession charges Wednesday and paid a $50 fine in Orange County, where he had lived for six years.

That afternoon, he was arrested at his home in North Hollywood, in Los Angeles County. On Friday, he was charged with murder in the slaying of Ennis Cosby, the entertainer’s only son, who was shot while changing a flat tire on a dark road on Jan. 16.

Markhasev didn’t enter a plea to the murder charge and is being held without bail until his next court appearance March 28. He could face the death penalty.

Markhasev had chosen Cosby at random for a robbery attempt, police said.

He also was charged with attempted robbery and use of a firearm during commission of a crime.

Markhasev was charged with marijuana possession after police stopped him on Feb. 8 in Los Alamitos and found a small amount of the drug, according to court records reviewed by the Los Angeles Times and the Press-Telegram of Long Beach.