Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Has Been Found Guilty

The man long suspected of killing Nipsey Hussle was found guilty in a court of law this afternoon (July 6). Today in a Los Angeles, California courtroom, Eric R. Holder, Jr. was convicted of murder in the first degree surrounding the tragic March 31, 2019 incident. The fatal crime took place just miles from the courtroom.

Holder’s attorney did not dispute that he pulled the trigger outside of Nipsey’s Marathon clothing store within the South L.A. area his lyrics and philanthropy empowered. However, the defense argued that the charges were not in step with the details of the incident. The New York Times‘ Joe Coscarelli and Jill Cowan reported: “At trial, prosecutors described the gunman as an embittered acquaintance who had belonged to the same street gang as Hussle but felt disrespected by him during a brief parking-lot run-in.”

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Holder was found guilty of using two handguns to fire upon Hussle, striking him more than 10 times before kicking the 33-year-old born Ermias Asghedom. The legal team argued that Holder acted amid a heated argument surrounding speculation that Nipsey Hussle had accused Eric of cooperating with authorities. In a neighborhood where being labeled a snitch has grave consequences, Holder’s team sought a manslaughter conviction in retaliation for the accusation. Both men have been linked to the Rollin’ 60s Crips street organization.

Notably, Holder was found guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter based on the two bystanders (Kerry Lathan and Shermi Villanueva) wounded in the shooting. Holder was also found guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The prosecution sought steeper penalties for those parties.

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While detained, the trial was delayed due to a violent attack on Eric Holder last Tuesday (June 28). He was reportedly punched and cut with a razor. He received staples after medical treatment.

A woman who drove Holder to the scene of the murder, Bryannita Nicholson, testified in the trial. She was granted immunity from prosecution for her appearance in court. She was romantically linked to Holder. According to the trial, after Holder exited the vehicle to speak with Hussle. A small discussion escalated when Hussle insinuated that Holder might be an informant. Eric then demanded proof of those accusations. Moments later, Nicholson asked Hussle for a selfie with the Hip-Hop star; the resulting photo is the last photo of him alive.

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Moments after the exchange, as Holder and Nicholson parked in another nearby plaza, Eric returned to Hussle. It’s there that he fired upon the artist. After kicking Hussle, Holder and Nicholson vacated the scene of the crime. Less than 48 hours after the murder, Holder was apprehended by the Los Angeles Police Department. He was captured in Bellflower, California. That same day, Eric was charged with murder.

Eric Holder could face life in prison; he will be sentenced on September 15.