Eric Ronald Holder Jr., who was found guilty in July last year of murdering the rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles in 2019, has been sentenced to at least 60 years in prison. The sentence was handed down in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday (22nd February) and included 25 years to life for first-degree murder, 25 more for a firearm sentencing enhancement and 10 years for assault.
The latter sentence relates to an additional conviction Holder received last year made up of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and assault with a firearm – two men at the scene of Hussle’s shooting in 2019 were hit by gunfire from Holder but survived.
Eric R. Holder Jr. Was Found Guilty of Murdering Nipsey Hussle Last Year
“I am very mindful of what was presented as to Mr. Holder’s mental health,” Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II said when handing down the sentence, Associated Press reports. “I am also mindful of the devastation caused to the victims and their families. I believe this sentence balances the two.”
Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, a close friend of Hussle’s who was with him when he was shot and killed, delivered an impact statement before the sentence was handed down. “Our community right now, we lost everything, everything we worked for,” Douglas said. “One man’s mistake, one man’s action, messed up a whole community.”
Holder fatally shot Hussle – real name Ermias Asghedom – outside the rapper’s Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles on 31st March, 2019. Hussle was shot 10 times, including in his head and through his spine, severing it. Holder was arrested two days later.
After multiple setbacks, Holder’s trial began in June 2022. He pleaded not guilty. Much of Holder’s case rested on his attorney arguing that, while he did shoot and kill Hussle, it was not a premeditated act, and that the crime took place in “the heat of passion” after an argument between Holder and Hussle.
However, prosecutors told the court Holder left the argument without displaying aggression, before returning to his car and driving for some time before going back to Hussle’s Marathon store and opening fire on the rapper.
Hussle’s death at the age of 33 left a huge mark on the hip hop world. The likes of Snoop Dogg, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, Big Sean and Kendrick Lamar released songs that paid tribute to the rapper, with Big Sean’s ‘Deep Reverence’ including a posthumous verse from Hussle.
The rapper was remembered with a memorial service at LA’s Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), and a tribute performance took place at the 2020 Grammy Awards featuring DJ Khaled, John Legend and others. Nipsey Hussle was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.
Further Reading
Man Charged With Fatally Shooting Nipsey Hussle Found Guilty of Murder
US Rapper Nipsey Hussle Reportedly Killed In Shooting
YG & Nipsey Hussle’s ‘FDT’ Copped A 740% Increase In Sales After Joe Biden’s Election
