A jury found a 32-year-old man guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the fatal 2019 murder of rapper Nipsy Husley.
A Los Angeles County jury also found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter instead of two counts of attempted murder, while prosecutors were looking for two other men who were shot at the scene.
Holder, dressed in a blue suit and face mask, stood beside his attorney in the small courtroom as the verdict was read. He had no visible reaction.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours over two days before reaching their verdict.
The decision ends a legal saga that has dragged on for more than three years and a trial that has often been delayed by the pandemic.
Holder and Husley had known each other for years, growing up as members of the same South Los Angeles street gang, when a chance encounter outside the rapper’s Los Angeles clothing store led to a shooting and his death.
The evidence against Holder was overwhelming, from eyewitnesses to surveillance cameras from local businesses that captured his arrival, footage, and departure.
His attorney did not even deny that he was the shooter, but asked the jury to convict him of the lesser charge of willful manslaughter.
The shooting followed a conversation the two men had over rumors that Holder was acting as a government informant. Holder’s attorney, Aaron Jansen, said that being publicly accused of being “grumpy” by someone as prominent as Husley caused Holder to “trigger passion” and find him not guilty of first-degree murder.
“This is a provocation that incites anger and strong emotions,” Jansen told the jury on Thursday.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney argued during the trial that Holder and everyone else in the conversation that led to Husley’s death were so calm that the “shaving” conversation could not have been the main motive, and that Holder must have been jealous. or hate in advance. . fight
McKinney told the jury that the nine minutes between the conversation and the shooting was more than enough time for premeditated murder, a requirement for first-degree murder.
The jury appears to have agreed.
Husli, whose legal name is Ermias Asgedom, died at age 33. He had just released his debut album, which received his first Grammy nomination, when he was murdered.
He was a universally loved figure in Los Angeles, especially in South Los Angeles, where he grew up and stayed after rising to fame, buying property, and starting businesses.
“He wanted to change the neighborhood,” McKinney said in his closing argument. “He kept the same friends. And the neighbor loved him. They called it the neighborhood pinch.”
Husley was honored at a memorial at the arena, then known as the Staples Center, and celebrated at the Grammy Awards in a performance that included DJ Khaled and John Legend.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
