Eric Holder Jr. Found Guilty For Death of Rapper Nipsey Hussle
Eric Holder Jr., 33, was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the shooting death of beloved Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle in March 2019.
Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, was signing autographs for fans outside his clothing store, The Marathon, in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles when Holder approached him and engaged in a conversation.
Holder left, then returned a few minutes later and shot Hussle 11 times. Two other men were also injured in the shooting but survived, according to the Los Angeles Times.
At the beginning of the trial last month, prosecutors made the argument that Hussle’s death was premeditated. Not only did Holder shoot Hussle 11 times, but he also kicked him in the head before fleeing.
Multiple eyewitnesses testified to seeing not only the interaction between the two men but also the shooting. Instead of maintaining his innocence, Holder’s lawyer Aaron Jansen wanted to persuade jurors to convict him on a lesser charge of manslaughter instead of first-degree murder.
Although Holder initially faced charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder, the jury found him guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter.
Holder will be sentenced on September 15 and will likely receive a life sentence for the first-degree murder charge.
Eric Holder Jr. mugshot
