On Wednesday, a California man was convicted guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles. Eric Ronald Holder Jr., 32, was found guilty of murdering Nipsey Hussle outside the rapper’s south Los Angeles apparel business by a 12-person jury.
When Holder and Hussle happened to cross paths on a Sunday afternoon in the neighbourhood where they both lived, the prosecution claims that Holder shot Hussle at least ten times. After a brief exchange, Holder walked away before returning ten minutes later and opening fire, killing Hussle and injuring two onlookers.
Public defender Aaron Jansen acknowledged that Holder killed Hussle but argued that he should not be convicted of first-degree murder because the attack was not pre-meditated.
After Hussle informed him that there were rumours of him ‘snitching’ to police, which Jansen believed to be a major offence, Holder allegedly acted in ‘the heat of fury,’ according to Jansen. Holder did not give a testimony at the trial.
Hussle, who was 33 at the time of his death, had admitted in the open that he had joined a gang as a teenager. Later, as he achieved fame in rap music and worked with musicians like Snoop Dogg and Drake, he transitioned towards activism and entrepreneurship.
Hussle received two posthumous Grammy Awards in 2020, including one for ‘Racks in the Middle,’ a song with Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy that was released a few weeks before to his passing.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney said he hoped the verdict provided ‘some resounding peace’ to Hussle`s family and fans and that the rapper`s life would inspire others ‘to get to a place where dreams are made.’
Holder also was convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter for wounding two bystanders in the incident. Holder could spend the rest of his life in prison. Sentencing was set for Sept. 15.
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