A jury found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of first-degree murder over the killing of West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle on Wednesday. Hussle, whose real name was Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, was shot at least 10 times in a parking lot outside of his Los Angeles clothing store in 2019 before Holder kicked him in the head.
The question of Holder’s guilt was not up for debate, as he was named by multiple eyewitnesses and had been placed at the scene by security camera footage. However, since the incident was the result of a heated argument between the two men, Holder’s legal team argued that the killing was not premeditated and had instead occurred in the “heat of passion.” A full nine minutes had transpired between the verbal confrontation and the shooting, during which point Holder returned to his vehicle to arm himself with the two guns he used in the killing.
The argument had allegedly stemmed over Hussle confronting Holder over neighborhood rumors that the then 29-year-old had “snitched” by cooperating with law enforcement.
However, the prosecution pointed to longstanding bad blood between two rival artists, calling the killing “cold-blooded” and “calculated.”
“I submit to you that the motive for killing Nipsey Hussle had little to do with the conversation they had … There’s pre-existing jealousy,” said Deputy District Attorney John McKinney in closing arguments last Thursday. “Saying, ‘You’re through,’ before shooting him and shooting him a number of times … kicking him in the head, that’s personal. What makes this murder first-degree is premeditation and deliberation.”
According to the New York Times, it didn’t take the members of the jury very long to come to their conclusion.
“After meeting for less than an hour on a second day of deliberations, the decision by the jury to find Mr. Holder guilty of first-degree murder indicated that they agreed with the Los Angeles county prosecutors that Mr. Holder had made the decision to kill Hussle as he returned to a car after their initial talk, loaded a gun, took a few bites of fries and then marched back through the parking lot to confront the rapper.”
In addition to the first degree murder charges, Holder was also found guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter over two bystanders who were injured by stray bullets during the shooting, though prosecutors had lobbied for attempted murder charges. Holder’s lawyer argued that his client had no intention of killing the other two men, who were strangers, during the incident.
Holder was likewise found guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He will be sentenced on Sept. 15 2022, and faces life in prison.