A Los Angeles jury on Wednesday (July 6) found Eric Ronald Holder Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 killing of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Following a weeks-long trial, the jurors agreed with prosecutors that the March 2019 shooting at a Los Angeles strip mall was premeditated murder, according to media reports. Holder admitted to shooting the rapper, but his attorneys had argued that he had acted in “heated passion” and only committed manslaughter.
The shooting followed an altercation outside Hussle’s clothing store, The Marathon, in South Central Los Angeles, between two men who had known each other for years. Prosecutors said Holder, angered over accusations he was a “snitch,” returned with two handguns and shot Hussle more than 10 times.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office did not immediately return a request for comment on the conviction.
Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was a beloved Los Angeles rapper who made his name with mixtapes before releasing his first major-label album in 2018 to critical and commercial success. He was awarded two posthumous awards at the 62nd Grammy Awards.
In addition to the first-degree murder conviction, jurors also held Holder guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter over two other men who were hit with gunfire during the shooting. Prosecutors had sought the more serious charge of attempted murder over those two shootings.
When Holder is sentenced in the months ahead, he faces a potential life sentence. His attorney did not immediately return a request for comment on the conviction.