A jury has found 32-year-old Eric Holder Jr. guilty of the 2019 murder of Rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Holder was convicted of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, in Los Angeles County, on Wednesday.
Holder and Hussle had known each other for years. They had been a part of the same street gang in South Los Angeles as they had grown up. Later, a dispute outside of Hussle’s clothing store resulted in the fatal shooting of the rapper.
There was a large amount of evidence against Holder. This includes camera footage from nearby businesses that shows when he arrived, the shooting, and when he left.
His lawyer never said that he wasn’t the assailant. However, he requested that the jury convict Holder of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder.
The shooting happened after the two men had been talking about Holder being a police informant. Holder’s attorney stated that the shooting was caused by a “heat of passion” after being labeled a “snitch.” At the same time, the DA said that the nine minutes that had gone by meant that the killing was premeditated.
The trial began on June 15. It took the jury six hours, over a two-day time period, to deliberate.
Hussle, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom, was killed at 33. When he died, he had just launched his major-label debut album. He had just received his first Grammy nomination for the project.
