On Wednesday, the man who had gunned down the adored Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle more than three years ago was convicted and sentenced to 60 years to life in prison in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Eric Holder was found guilty of first-degree murder in July, with respect to the March 31, 2019, killing of Hussle in a parking lot of his South Los Angeles apparel shop. He was 33 years old.
The accused was also held responsible for two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter following the injury of two people during the shooting.
Hussle, who had been born Ermias Asghedom, and Holder had grown up together, and both of them were members of the Rollin’ 60s gang. As asserted by the prosecutors, Holder was disgruntled about accusations that he was a snitch, and when he confronted Hussle outside The Marathon shop, he had intentionally discharged his semi-automatic pistol.
Hussle was struck by at least 10 bullets. After that, Holder kicked the rapper’s head and hurriedly fled from the spot, as recounted by Deputy District Attorney John McKinney to the jury.
Holder’s lawyer, Aaron Jansen, had mentioned that the shooting was a consequence of “heated passion”. According to Jansen, when Holder returned to the shop with a gun, he had not had enough time to get a grip on himself. The attorney deemed the charges against Holder to be exaggerated.
Hussle, who had been nominated for a Grammy Award with his debut studio album prior to his death, was also a father of two, a much respected community leader, and an anti-gun-violence proponent.
To honor his 37th birthday, Hussle was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last summer.
