Nipsey Hussle’s killer sentenced to at least 60 years in prison

LOS ANGELES — The man who shot dead Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle on a Los Angeles street in 2019 was sentenced to at least 60 years in prison on Wednesday.

Eric Holder hadn’t denied killing Hussle — a fast-rising star whose death sent shockwaves through the music world — but his attorneys argued it was an impulsive crime, committed in the “heat of passion.”

But a jury found last year that Holder acted premeditated when he shot Hussle at least 10 times after the two men fell out over claims the attacker had “betrayed” to police.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. ClayJacket sentenced Holder to a minimum of 25 years for murder, with an additional 25 years for using a weapon in the crime.

Holder received an additional 10 years for shooting and wounding two other men nearby.

The violent murder of former gang member Hussle outside a clothing store he owned sparked widespread grief in his hometown of Los Angeles and among his fellow Superstars, who hailed his musical talent and community activism.

Raised in the Crenshaw area of ​​town, Hussle, who was 33 when he died, had turned the block where he once operated into a retail center that creates jobs for his company, Marathon Clothing.

But he remained connected 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 told Holder there were rumors that Holder “whistle” before Holder exited the parking lot where the two were talking.

When he returns a short time later, Holder “draws two guns at once and starts shooting” in a “violent explosion.”

The killing was caught on video.

In his closing argument, McKinney called the murder “cold blood” and “calculated” and said Holder had “quite a lot of time for premeditation and deliberation.”

But Holder’s attorney told jurors the murder was “an act of impulse and rashness” that should have been charged as manslaughter.

The month after his assassination in 2019, thousands of people gathered for a service in Hussle’s honor, including Stevie Wonder and Snoop Dogg, who paid tribute, and former President Barack Obama, who authored a letter that was read during the service .

“Whereas most people look at the Crenshaw neighborhood where he grew up and only see gangs, bullets and desperation, Nipsey saw potential,” Obama wrote.

“He saw hope. He saw a community that, despite its flaws, taught him to keep going.”

Hussle – real name Ermias Asghedom – was posthumously honored with two Grammy Awards in 2020 for Best Rap Performance for “Racks in the Middle” and Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Higher”.

In August, on his 37th birthday, he was posthumously awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.