Nearly four years after since Nipsey Hussle’s death at age 33, his killer has finally been sentenced. Eric Holder, 32, has been sentenced to sixty years to life in prison for taking the life of the famed rapper out in the open in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. He won’t be out of prison until he is nearing 100 years old, though there’s a chance he will never emerge from behind bars.
The news came after Eric was found guilty of first-degree murder in the high-profile case by a Los Angeles jury back in July of 2022. Eric also shot two other people during the rampage, for which he was found guilty of two counts each of assault with a firearm, attempted voluntary manslaughter, and finally, possession of a firearm by a felon.
Eric carried out the attack outside of Nipsey’s apparel store, Marathon Shop, in South Los Angeles. According to Forbes, the conviction came with the aid of eyewitness accounts to the broad daylight murder, as well as surveillance footage. During the trial, Deputy District Attorney John McKinney reportedly shared with the jury that Eric told the rapper, “You’re through.” Hauntingly, Nipsey replied, “You got me.” They had been in a volatile argument leading up to the killing.
Prosecutors claimed that Eric had fired at least 10 rounds of ammunition at the Grammy winning artist, then kicked him in the head before fleeing. He died of gunshots to the head and torso and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Nipsey was publicly mourned by the masses, both in Los Angeles and beyond, with a candlelight vigil and a massive memorial ceremony. He left behind girlfriend, You People actress Lauren London and their son together, Kross Asghedom. He also had a daughter, Emani Asghedom, with ex Tanisha Foster.
Nipsey’s son was only two when his father was tragically gunned down. “His soul was majestic,” Lauren said in part during the rapper’s memorial service. “He was the strongest man that I ever knew; a gentle father, a patient leader, a divine light. He was brilliant. He researched everything, completely self-taught, constantly seeking knowledge. He would go to bed and listen to these audiobooks in his headphones and I would tease him… and he would wake up in the morning and play music for the kids and light a sage and burn it around the house and just make sure that our energy going outside would be uplifted and that we could handle the day.”