Nipsey Hussle killer sentenced to LA jail for shooting hip-hop artist

A man convicted of killing hip-hop artist Nipsey Hussle outside his clothing store in the South Los Angeles area was sentenced to jail on Wednesday.

Eric Holder, 32, received 60 years to life in prison. In July, he was convicted of first-degree murder in the March 2019 shooting outside the 33-year-old rapper Marathon’s clothing store in South Los Angeles. A Los Angeles County jury also found Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted manslaughter due to a shooting that injured other men at the scene.

Holder had no right to the death penalty. A sentence requiring him to remain in prison for the rest of his life was all but guaranteed, but the details of the term were determined at a court hearing Wednesday in Los Angeles.

The defense read in court a letter from Holder’s father, who expressed grief and agony knowing that he had soon taken another’s life. He asked the judge to send his son to a psychiatric hospital for treatment.

The judge agreed to place Holder in a facility that could meet his mental health needs.

Following the sentencing, in a brief outburst, Nipsey’s friend told Holder Jr. to “get on the road, Jack” as he was escorted out of the courtroom. Holder didn’t react. The friend was removed from the courtroom.

In December, the judge denied the defense’s motion to reduce Holder’s charge of second-degree murder or manslaughter and denied the defense’s motion for a new trial.

Holder and Nipsey grew up affiliated with the same South Los Angeles gang, the Rollin’ 60s, prosecutors and defense attorneys said during the trial. From there, the two men’s lives took separate paths, prosecutors said.

According to prosecutors, Nipsey became a well-known recording artist who was trying to improve his community. They portrayed Nipsey as having a close relationship with the South Los Angeles area, where he opened his clothing store.

“This man was different,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told jurors at the trial. “He wanted to change the area. He has the same friends. And the neighbors loved him.

“He was no longer a bandit. He was a world famous recording artist and more. It’s really a shame that his life was taken so brutally and in cold blood on his own turf, in his own neighborhood, by someone from his own gang. Someone he considered a friend.”

Nipsey Hussle was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Holder’s defense team said the shooting came after a conversation in which Nipsey told Holder that there were rumors about his role as an informant to the authorities. They stated that the shooting took place in a “hot state” due to the charge of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter during the trial.

The trial included CCTV and images of the police body camera shooting and the mall, which were used to illustrate the day’s narrative. Video from a nearby parking lot shows Holder appearing with a weapon, and Nipsey collapsed to the ground.

Holder left the scene for approximately 10 minutes before returning and opening fire. Prosecutors told jurors that there was plenty of time for premeditation, as defined by law.

The jury heard eight days of testimony in a trial that was adjourned by a day due to what Holder’s lawyer said was an assault in prison. According to his lawyer, Holder passed out after he was attacked in a prison cell along with other inmates.

Holder, who did not testify in his defense, was arrested two days after the murder. His lawyer said he turned himself in at a psychiatric clinic in Bellflower.

Nipsey’s death led to days of mourning, including an April 2019 memorial service attended by thousands, including many Los Angeles celebrities who paid tribute to the hip-hop artist.

A letter from former President Barack Obama was read during a service at the Staples Center.

“While most people look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and desperation, Nipsey saw the potential,” Obama wrote. “He saw hope. He saw a community that, despite its shortcomings, taught him to always move forward.”

Nipsey was posthumously awarded two Grammy Awards in 2020 for Best Rap Performance for “Racks in the Middle” and Best Rap Performance for “Higher”.