Eric R. Holder Jr. has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for the first-degree murder of Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, Nipsey Hussle.
The sentencing was handed down by Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday. Holder, who is 33 years old, was also convicted of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm for shooting two other men at the scene who survived.
During the trial, it was revealed that Holder and Hussle knew each other for years growing up as members of the Rollin’ 60s in South Los Angeles. Both were aspiring rappers, but Hussle found much more success than Holder, becoming a local hero and a national celebrity. The shooting occurred outside the Marathon, a clothing store that Hussle founded in the South Los Angeles neighborhood where both men grew up.
After hearing from one of Hussle’s friends and listening to a letter from Holder’s father that was read in court, Judge Jacke handed down the sentence. Holder, who was dressed in orange jail attire, remained stoic throughout the proceedings and did not react when the sentence was read.
Holder was not eligible for the death penalty, but was nearly certain to receive a sentence that would guarantee he would spend the rest of his life in prison. The sentencing was delayed so defense attorney Aaron Jansen could argue to reduce Holder’s conviction to manslaughter or second-degree murder, which Jacke rejected in December.
Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, a close friend of Hussle who was standing with him when he was killed and testified during the trial, told the court that the killing was a tremendous loss for him personally and for the South Los Angeles community where Hussle was a business leader and an inspiration.
“Nipsey was my friend, he was like a son, he was like a dad,” Douglas said. “Our community right now, we lost everything, everything we worked for. One man’s mistake, one man’s action, messed up a whole community.”
Douglas added, “I don’t care what you give this guy. It ain’t about the time. I just want to know why. The world wants to know why. Why someone would do that?”
During the trial, the evidence against Holder was overwhelming, with eyewitnesses and surveillance cameras from local businesses that captured his arrival, the shooting, and his departure. Holder’s attorney conceded during the trial that he had shot Hussle, but argued that the heated circumstances of the shooting meant a lesser verdict of voluntary manslaughter was merited.
The jury returned with the first-degree murder verdict after about six hours of deliberations. Jansen said afterward that he was “deeply disappointed” in the verdict, which they planned to appeal. He did manage a minor victory for Holder by securing the attempted voluntary manslaughter convictions where prosecutors had sought attempted murder verdicts.
Hussle, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, was mourned a year after his death at a memorial at the arena then known as Staples Center, and celebrated in a performance at the Grammy Awards that included DJ Khaled and John Legend.
Although Hussle’s partner, actor Lauren London, and his relatives did not attend any part of the trial, his death was felt deeply by the South Los Angeles community where he was a business leader and an inspiration. Holder’s actions have had a lasting impact on the community, and his sentence serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of violence.
SOURCE: AP NEWS
