Rapper Nipsey Hussle's killer sentenced to 60 years to life in prison
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For gunning down the rapper outside his own Los Angeles clothing store in March 2019, Nipsey Hussle's killer is sentenced to life in prison.
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Eric R. Holder Jr. sits in the courtroom at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on Sept. 15, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP)
The man who shot and killed rapper Nipsey Hussle outside a Los Angeles clothing store in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday.
Eric Holder Jr., 33, was convicted of the Grammy-nominated rapper's murder, as well as the attempted murder of two other men after unleashing a "hail of bullets" outside the Marathon Clothing store Hussle founded.
Holder did not respond when the sentence was read, instead maintaining a blank expression throughout the proceedings.
Hussle's death rocked the South LA community he helped build, according to Herman Douglas, a close friend who was with him when he died.
"Our community right now, we lost everything, everything we worked for," he told the court on Wednesday. "One man's mistake, one man's action, messed up a whole community."
The fatal shooting occurred in March 2019 after Holder and Hussle discussed rumors that the gunman was acting as an informant for authorities.
Hussle, a prominent Rolling 60s gang member, was shot 11 times. In the incident, two other men were shot and injured.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney stated during the trial last year that Hussle was "shot from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head." Just before firing, Holder told Hustle "You're through," and when the first shot hit him, Hussle yelled, "You got me."
The evidence against Holder was overwhelming, ranging from eyewitness accounts to surveillance footage from local businesses that captured his arrival, the shooting, and his departure.
His lawyer did not even deny he was the shooter but instead urged jurors to convict him on the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter.
While Holder was found guilty of murder, he was not eligible for the death penalty.
