Eric Holder, Jr., who was found guilty of killing hip-hop singer Nipsey Hussle in 2019, received a sentence of 60 years to life in prison on Wednesday.
On July 6, 2022, Eric Holder was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the rapper’s death. The rapper’s real name is Ermias Asghedom.
Moreover, Holder was found guilty on two charges of attempted voluntary manslaughter and gun possession. His defense was that he was not guilty.
During the trial, Holder was acquitted of attempted murder against two people who were injured in a shooting attack in 2019.
On September 15, 2022, in Los Angeles, Eric Holder Jr. is seated in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
Aaron Jansen, Holder’s lawyer, after the decision that there is “great sadness” with the conviction and that Holder intends to fight his sentence.
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“It was always going to be tough given the high-profile circumstances surrounding the case,” Jansen said. We are appreciative that the jury, in part, agreed with us that the allegations against Mr. Holder, Jr., were excessive and decided to clear him of the two attempted murder charges.
Holder entered a not-guilty plea to first-degree murder but did not contest responsibility for Hussle’s death.
Throughout the trial, Jansen contended that although Holder did shoot Hussle to death, it was an act of passion rather than premeditation.
“Mr. Holder has always been willing to accept responsibility for the charge of voluntary manslaughter for the life he took,” Jansen told ABC News in a statement on July 2, 2022.
Nipsey Hussle was a Grammy-winning rapper who dedicated his life to improving the neighborhoods of Crenshaw, where he grew up and had multiple companies. His community and admirers in South Los Angeles referred to him as “Neighborhood Nip.” The rapper was assassinated on those streets on March 31, 2019, in front of his Marathon Clothing store.
From the same area as Hussle, Holder was an aspiring rapper who belonged to the Rollin’ 60s of the Crips. Nonetheless, in the final years of his life, Hussle sought to put an end to the bloodshed and mediate a truce between opposing gangs.
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The Marathon Apparel store, which has now reopened in a new location and been transformed into a memorial where tens of thousands of fans gather to pay their respects to Hussle, was rocked by the rapper’s murder at age 33.
After Hussle’s passing, millions have shared memorials to the rapper on social media, often with the hashtag #TheMarathonContinues, which was used by Hussle himself as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles in life.
“I think I speak for the entire city of LA when I say that we’ve always known that Hussle was destined for greatness,” the rapper’s girlfriend Lauren London said as Hussle was honored as a hometown hero on Aug. 15, 2022, when he received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Nip would have been proud of this occasion.
“So whenever you’re in the City of Angels and you see this star, I hope that it encourages you to break away from whatever might be holding you back and for you to run your marathon until God says that it’s finished,” she added.
