Eric Holder, the man who shot dead Grammy-winning American rapper Nipsey Hussle on a Los Angeles street in 2019 was jailed for at least 60 years on Wednesday, February 22.
Eric Holder had not denied killing Hussle — a fast-rising star whose death sent shockwaves through the music world — but his lawyers argued it was an impulsive crime that took place in the “heat of passion.”
But a jury last year found Holder had acted with premeditation as he fired at Hussle at least 10 times following a dispute between the two men over claims the assailant was “snitching” to the police.
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Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke sentenced Holder to a minimum of 25 years for the killing, with an additional 25 years because a gun was used in the crime.
Holder was given another 10 years for shooting and wounding two other men who were nearby.
The violent killing of Hussle, a former gang member, in front of a clothing store he owned triggered widespread grief in his native Los Angeles and among his superstar peers, who hailed his musical talents and community activism.
Raised in the city’s Crenshaw district, Hussle, who was 33 when he died, had transformed the block he used to hustle on into a retail, job-creating hub for his Marathon Clothing company.
But he remained linked to the gang-ridden world he grew up in.
Holder, a 32-year-old gang member, and Hussle were both members of the same “Rollin 60s” Crips faction.
During the trial, prosecutor John McKinney said Hussle had told Holder there were rumors Holder had been “snitching,” before Holder left the parking lot where the two were talking.
When he returned a short time later, Holder “pulls out not one but two guns and starts shooting” in an “explosion of violence.”
The killing was captured on video.
