Eric Holder, Jr., the man who was convicted in the 2019 murder of hip-hop artist Nipsey Hussle, was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison, according to ABC station in Los Angeles, KABC.
Holder was found guilty on July 6, 2022, of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of the rapper, whose birth name is Ermias Asghedom.
Holder was also convicted of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, Holder was also found guilty of attempted murder against two men who were wounded in the 2019 shooting attack.
Following the verdict, Holder’s attorney Aaron Jansen told ABC News there’s “deep disappointment” with the conviction and said that Holder plans to appeal his sentence.
“It was always going to be tough given the high-profile circumstances surrounding the case,” Jansen said. “We are grateful that the jury agreed with us, in part, that the case was overcharged and voted to acquit Mr. Holder, Jr. of the two attempted murder charges.”
Although Holder pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, he did not deny that he killed Hussle.
Jansen argued during the trial that while Holder did fatally shoot Hussle, it was a crime of passion and not a premeditated act.
“Mr. Holder has always been willing to accept responsibility for the charge of voluntary manslaughter for the life he took,” Jansen told ABC News in a statement on July 2, 2022.
Nipsey Hussle, known as “Neighborhood Nip” to his community and fans in South Los Angeles, dedicated his life to building the streets of Crenshaw where he grew up and where he owned several businesses. The Grammy winning rapper was killed on March 31, 2019, outside his Marathon Clothing store, at age 33.
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