Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Sentenced to 60 Years to Life in Prison

The man who was found guilty of fatally shooting the rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 was sentenced on Wednesday to 60 years to life in prison in a Los Angeles courtroom.

Eric R. Holder Jr., 33, was convicted last year of first-degree murder for shooting Hussle outside The Marathon Clothing store the rapper had opened in the South Los Angeles neighborhood, where both men grew up.

Mr. Holder was sentenced to 25 years to life on the murder count, to another 25 years to life because a gun was used and to another 10 years for shooting two other people that same day, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Aaron Jansen, the public defender who represented Mr. Holder, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

There was no dispute that Mr. Holder pulled the trigger. Multiple witnesses and even Mr. Jansen identified Mr. Holder as the assailant who fired toward Hussle with two handguns, hitting the rapper at least 10 times, then kicking him in the head.

But Mr. Holder’s legal team said during the trial that the case was overcharged. Mr. Jansen said that the fatal shooting was not premeditated and that it took place in the “heat of passion” after an exchange in which Hussle, 33, invoked neighborhood rumors that Mr. Holder had cooperated with law enforcement.

After meeting for less than an hour on a second day of deliberations, the jury members appeared to agree with Los Angeles County prosecutors that Mr. Holder had made the decision to kill Hussle after the two spoke as he returned to a car, loaded a gun, took a few bites of French fries, then marched back through the parking lot to confront the rapper.

In addition to his conviction on the murder charge, Mr. Holder was also found guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, stemming from the wounding of two bystanders.

Fans mourned Hussle, whose given name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, as an artist and entrepreneur who had moved past his early years as a member of the local Rollin’ 60s Crips gang. His public memorial in April 2019 in Los Angeles drew about 20,000 people, including Stevie Wonder and Snoop Dogg.

Not a commercial hitmaker, Hussle was hailed as a local hero and celebrity, producing music on his own terms for 15 years before releasing his major label debut, “Victory Lap,” in 2018.

Johnny Diaz is a general assignment reporter covering breaking news. He previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel and The Boston Globe. @johnnydiaz__