Celebrity News February 22, 2023
Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Eric Holder Sentenced to 60 Years to Life in Prison
Rap artist Nipsey Hussle was gunned down outside his Marathon Clothing Company in South L.A. in March 2019, and now his killer has been sentenced.
An L.A. County jury found Eric Holder, 33, guilty of first-degree murder back in July. At the time, he was also found guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, because two other men were shot during the attack.
Now, TMZ reports a judge has sentenced Holder to 60 years to life in prison.
He was facing a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
NBC 4 reports that during the trial, it was revealed that Nipsey and Eric grew up with connections to the same South L.A. gang.
Nipsey Hussle’s Friend Recalls Rapper’s Last Moments
View StoryLos Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John McKinney told jurors of Hussle trajectory, “This man was different. He wanted to change the neighborhood. He kept the same friends. And the neighborhood loved him. They called him Neighborhood Nip."
McKinney added, “He was no longer a gangbanger. He was a world-known recording artist and so much more. It really is a shame that his life was so brutally and coldly taken, on his own property, in his own neighborhood, by someone from his own gang. By somebody that he considered a friend."
Holder's defense team stated that the incident happened after Nipsey and Eric got into a heated conversation and the rapper asked Holder about rumors he was an informant. Citing the killing happened in the "heat of passion," the defense asked for a lesser charge, but the judge rejected it.
Prosecutors claimed that video footage shows Eric left for 10 minutes and came back and killed Nipsey, arguing that it was enough time for premeditation.
Nipsey, real name Airmiess Asghedom, was a Grammy-nominated rapper and father of two children. He shared daughter Emani, around 14 years old, with ex Tanisha Foster, and son Kross, 6, with girlfriend Lauren London.
More than a month before he was gunned down, Nipsey Hussle spoke with “Extra's” Tanika Ray at the Grammys, where he was joined by girlfriend Lauren London.