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Nipsey Hussle’s killer is sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for murder after fatally shooting the rapper outside his own Los Angeles clothing store ‘in a hail of bullets’ in March 2019 and injuring two bystanders
- Eric Holder Jr., 32, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years to life in prison for the murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle.
- The evidence was overwhelming, from witnesses to cameras that caught him shooting Hussle and two other men outside the rapper’s store in 2019.
- Friends of Hussle condemned the shooting, saying his death was a huge blow to the South Los Angeles community he was helping to raise up.
The man who shot and killed rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 outside a Los Angeles clothing store was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years to life in prison.
Eric Holder Jr., 32, was convicted of the murder of the Grammy-nominated artist as well as the attempted murder of two other men after he let out a “hail of bullets” outside the Marathon store Hussle founded. .
Holder, dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, did not react as the sentence was read, only keeping a blank stare throughout the proceedings.
Herman Douglas, a close friend of Hussle’s who was with him when he died, said his death rocked the South Los Angeles community he helped build.
“Our community right now, we lost everything, everything we worked for,” he told the court on Wednesday. ‘One man’s mistake, one man’s action, ruined an entire community.’
Eric Holder Jr. (above), 32, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 years to life in prison. In the photo, Holder sits in a court hearing in September after a jury found him guilty of murder.
He was found guilty of killing Grammy nominee Nipsey Hussle (pictured)
The fatal shooting, which took place in March 2019, followed a conversation between Holder and Hussle about rumors that the gunman had been acting as an informant for authorities.
The evidence against Holder was overwhelming, from eyewitnesses to surveillance cameras from local businesses that captured his arrival, the shooting and his departure.
His lawyer did not even deny that he was the shooter, but urged the jury to find him guilty on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Holder’s attorney, Aaron Jansen, argued that being publicly accused of being a “snitch” by someone as prominent as Hussle sparked a “heat of passion” in Holder.
Although Holder was found guilty of murder, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
Douglas told Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II that he was grateful for any judgment against Holder to get justice for his dead friend, but still demanded to know why Holder would shoot Hussle over the rumors.
‘I don’t care what you give this guy. It’s not about the time,” Douglas told the court. I just want to know why. The world wants to know why. Why would someone do that?’
Jacke handed down the sentence saying he took into account Holder’s mental health at the time of the shooting, as well as the turmoil facing Hussle’s family.
“I am well aware of what has been presented regarding Mr. Holder’s mental health,” the judge said Wednesday. I am also aware of the devastation caused to the victims and their families. I think this sentence balances the two.’
Holder is seen running with a gun in hand in view of several cameras set up in the mall.
Holder fled the scene and ran back to his friend’s car, en route being caught on camera still holding both weapons, McKinney said.
This is a developing story.