Eric Holder Jr., the man who was convicted of murdering Nipsey Hussle, has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison.
In June, Holder was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting of the rapper, whose real name is Ermias Asghedom. The fatal incident took place on March 31, 2019, when Holder approached Hussle outside of the rapper’s store, Marathon Clothing. After a brief conversation, Holder returned with a gun minutes later and shot the rapper 10 times. Hussle was just 33 years old.
Following a months-long court trial, Holder was found guilty of Hussle’s murder, along with two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter of two bystanders who were injured in the shooting.
Ahead of the sentencing, it had been widely anticipated that Holder would receive life imprisonment. The shooting was captured on video, clearly showing Holder as the gunman.
The murder conviction alone comes with a 25 years to life sentence, with an additional 25 years to life on the basis that he used a gun. Another ten years was added to his sentence for the two voluntary manslaughter convictions.
The sentencing had been delayed as Holder’s attorney prepared to argue for a manslaughter or second-degree murder conviction in Hussle’s death, which Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke rejected in December.
Hussle was known to be a philanthropic leader in the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles, where he grew up and owned several businesses.
Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, who was standing with Hussle when he was shot, testified at the trial.
“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.”
