Nipsey Hussle’s Accused Murderer Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder

After three long years, on Wednesday, Eric Holder Jr.,—the man accused of murdering influential rapper Nipsey Hussle back in March of 2019—was found guilty of first-degree murder in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Per CBS, the jury took only six hours to deliberate after the nearly month-long trial, which was previously expected last well into July. In addition to that, Holder was also charged with two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter instead of the previous counts of first-degree attempted murder.

During the pretrial, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John McKinney revealed his plans to call 15 witnesses to the stand, including the woman who allegedly served as Holder’s getaway driver. Many were reportedly reluctant, however, to do so out of fear of being looked upon as a snitch.

For his part, Holder’s public defender, Aaron Jenson, attempted to establish the fact that his client had a history of mental illness that was exacerbated by depression caused by an interruption of his medication stemming from the death of his mother. Jenson also clarified during the pretrial hearing that Holder’s appearance at the Marathon Clothing store was unplanned, thus proving that the killing of Hussle wasn’t a premeditated attack. However, Jenson’s attempts are all null and void now thanks to today’s conviction.

As previously reported by The Root, Holder shot Hussle (born Ermias Asghedom) at least ten times in the parking lot of his Marathon Clothing Store in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. In May 2019, he was formally charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree attempted murder. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.