Eric Holder has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2019 slaying of rapper Nipsey Hussle, the New York Times reports.
The Los Angeles jury also found Holder guilty on a pair of counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter for shooting two other people, as well as two counts of assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. The jury came back with “not guilty” for the charge of premeditated murder.
Holder was accused of entering the musician’s store, Marathon Clothing, and emptying two handguns into Nipsey, hitting him at least 10 times and accidentally striking two other people. Afterwards, multiple witnesses saw him kick the rapper in the head. Nipsey was 33 years old.
Holder admitted to pulling the trigger and his defense attorney, public defender Aaron Jansen, never claimed that Holder was fully innocent. Instead, he argued that the state had overcharged his client with unnecessary counts of first-degree murder, when voluntary manslaughter would have been more appropriate for a crime committed in the “heat of passion.”
Nipsey and Holder were acquaintances involved with the same street gang. All accounts agree that about nine minutes before the murder, the two men had exchanged heated words in a parking lot, where the rapper referenced rumors about Holder snitching.
Holder then returned to his car, ate a few french fries, loaded his guns, and walked into Marathon Clothing to kill Hussle. The prosecution spent significant energy on these fries, laying out the timeline of when they were bought, eaten, and left behind, all as evidence that Holder had reasonable control of his emotions and understood the severity of his actions. By delivering these guilty verdicts, the jury has sided with the prosecution.
The passing of Nipsey Hussle was mourned around the world. Born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, Nipsey built his reputation on a series of buzzy mixtapes and one stellar album, 2018’s Victory Lap. Even as he became a national figure, he emerged as a leader in his local community through his entrepreneurial endeavors and community service.
He received a star-studded tribute at the 2020 Grammys, and his music posthumously appeared on Big Sean’s Detroit 2 and the soundtrack to Judas and the Black Messiah.
