A California appellate court has upheld the conviction of Eric Ronald Holder Jr. for the 2019 first-degree murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The ruling, handed down by California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, affirms Holder’s sentence of 60 years to life in state prison for the killing of the 33-year-old musician, whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom.
Holder, now 34, shot and killed Hussle outside the rapper’s South Los Angeles clothing store, The Marathon, on March 31, 2019.
The shooting also injured two other men, who were caught in the crossfire.
The appellate court rejected the defense’s attempt to challenge the trial court’s decisions during Holder’s trial.
Specifically, the court upheld the ruling that blocked Holder’s defense attorney from speculating about what Holder was thinking or feeling before the shooting. “
Appellant did not testify, and no other evidence about what appellant was thinking or feeling prior to the shooting was presented to the jury,” wrote Presiding Justice Elwood Lui in the court’s 25-page ruling.
He added that the defense’s arguments lacked a factual basis and were not supported by evidence.
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In addition, the court upheld the decision to impose a 25-year firearm enhancement to Holder’s sentence.
The defense had argued that the enhancement should be dismissed, but the appellate panel concluded that the trial judge had properly balanced the evidence of mental illness with the severity of the crime when making the decision.
Holder was convicted of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, and assault with a firearm in connection with the 2019 shooting.
The jury also found that Holder had personally discharged a firearm and inflicted great bodily injury on one of the surviving victims.
The case has sparked significant attention due to Hussle’s widespread impact on the community and his role as a philanthropist and advocate for social change.
Despite the court’s ruling, Holder’s defense attorney has stated that his client remains at risk in prison, facing death threats for his involvement in the high-profile murder.
