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Nipsey Hussle's Killer Sentenced to 60 Years to Life in Prison
The man convicted of killing Nipsey Hussle has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison.
On Wednesday, a Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke sentenced Eric Holder Jr. to 25 years to life in state prison for murdering Hussle and an additional 25 years to life based on a sentencing enhancement because he used a gun, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Additionally, Holder must serve 10 years in prison on assault convictions for shooting two other men who were with Hussle on the day of the deadly shooting.
Holder was convicted of first-degree murder in July for killing the beloved rapper, whose legal name was Ermias Asghedom, in a parking lot outside his Marathon Clothing store in South Los Angeles on March 31, 2019.
Hussle and Holder were both members of the same Crips street gang, the Rollin’ 60s. During the month-long trial, prosecutors said that Holder had a conversation with Hussle and became angered over accusations he was a snitch. He returned to the store with two handguns and opened fire. Hussle was shot 11 times. Two other men were also shot and survived.
The judge handed down the sentence after hearing from Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, a close friend of the late rapper who was with him when he was killed.
“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.”
On Wednesday, Holder’s lawyer argued that he suffered from mental illness, reading a letter from Holder’s father that claimed he had been diagnosed with auditory schizophrenia at 19. Jansen did not raise a mental health defense during the trial, and the judge stopped Holder’s psychologist from taking the stand during the sentencing hearing.
Holder, dressed in orange jail attire, stared straight ahead throughout the proceedings and did not react when the sentence was read, according to The Associated Press.
Douglas started singing “hit the road, Jack” as Holder was taken away, leading the judge and deputies to admonish him and order him out of the room.
Hussle, who was also a father of two, was mourned during a star-studded tribute at L.A.’s Staples Center in April 2019. Last year, on what would have been his 37th birthday, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.