Alleged confidential informant Eric Holder, the man accused of killing Los Angeles (LA) rap legend Nipsey Hussle, appeared bruised and battered at Friday’s court proceedings, where the State and defence presented their closing arguments.
UPDATE: Eric Holder was found guilty of first-degree murder: 20:23 CAT
Per Rolling Stone, after days of deliberations, a jury of nine women and three men determined that Holder acted with premeditation when he shot and killed Nipsey Hussle outside his Marathon Clothing store on Slauson Avenue, Los Angeles, on 31 March 2019.
The jury also returned a guilty verdict on:
- possession of a firearm as a felon; and
- two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Facing a mandatory life imprisonment term, Holder will be sentenced at a later date.
Photo of Eric Holder Jr.’s injuries after what his lawyer described as an in-custody beating by fellow inmates Tues.
— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) July 1, 2022
Holder is accused of murdering Nipsey Hussle in South L.A. in March 2019.
Jurors deliberated 5 hrs Friday. Lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter on the table. pic.twitter.com/SEfDzhqBbf
‘Bruised’ Eric Holder was assaulted in jail before court appearance
Three years ago, Holder handed himself over to a mental health clinic two days after he’d fatally shot Nip, real name Ermias Asghedom, outside of his Marathon clothing store on Slauson Avenue.
COVID-19 delayed proceedings for more than two years, but finally, the Nipsey Hussle murder trial commenced in May 2022. The State’s case was focused on proving, without reasonable, premeditation. In their version, a chance encounter between Holder and Nipsey had triggered the suspect to plot, and immediately execute the rapper’s murder.
It’s said Nipsey had questioned Holder about murmurs floating around in LA,’s underworld, that he was a confidential informant cooperating with the police, something that is grossly shunned in gang culture.
The State argued Holder, who may have held personal grudges against Nipsey prior to the chance encounter, and a fellow Rolling 60s gang affiliate, walked away humiliated by the accusation.
Holder allegedly returned with two firearms and fired repeatedly, fatally striking the Victory Lap rapper multiple times. Two other bystanders were shot but their injuries were non-life-threatening.
Will Holder get first-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter?
Holder’s defence, on the other hand, is not necessarily pushing for acquittal. Instead, public defender Aaron Jansen argues Nipsey was murdered by the alleged snitch, in the heat of the moment, and therefore, should be charged with voluntary manslaughter.
In this scenario, according to LA criminal attorney Negin Yamini, voluntary manslaughter carries a prison sentence of “three, six, or 11 years in the California State prison.”
“Voluntary manslaughter is rarely charged as a separate offense. It typically applies in circumstances where it is undisputed that the defendant committed the killing but what is disputed is the manner of the killing. In those situations, the defendant seeks to reduce the charge of premeditated or second-degree killing to voluntary manslaughter or, if the case has proceeded to jury trial, asks for a voluntary manslaughter jury instruction. It is then the defendant’s burden to establish that the particular killing was not first-degree or second-degree murder but only voluntary manslaughter,”Yamini writes.
Deliberations, it’s believed, are ongoing, and Holder will be expected back in court to learn of his fate soon. He faces first-degree murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a felon.