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 NIPSEY HUSSLE'S TRIAL WILL BEGIN NEXT MONTH

Over 3 years after Nipsey Hussle was murdered down in the parking lot of his Marathon clothing store in a dramatic daylight ambush, his alleged murderer is set to begin his murder trial in the coming weeks. Suspect shooter Eric Holder, 32, appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom on Thursday, with his public defender announcing that he is ready to face a jury in the long-delayed case. When the prosecutor said he was ready, Judge H. Clay Jacke summoned both parties to court on June 2 to begin jury selection. The testimony in the high-profile case is expected to last two weeks once a panel is formed.

“We have been looking forward to the day that we could present evidence in court on this case. But for the Covid emergency, this case would have been tried quite some time ago,”  Deputy District Attorney John McKinney of Los Angeles County stated. The indictment says Holder used a black semiautomatic handgun in one hand and a smaller silver revolver in the other to kill the 33-year-old posthumous Grammy winner outside his clothing store in the heart of South Los Angeles on March 31, 2019.

According to a transcript of the May 2019 session, McKinney told the grand jury that finally indicted Holder, “Mr. Holder was firing with two different handguns, trading (shots) between his right and his left hand,” A police detective testified that once the barrage of bullets ceased, Holder reportedly stomped Nipsey in the head and fled, citing surveillance video provided before the grand jury. The grand jury indicted Holder on one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder for the rounds that struck bystanders Kerry Lathan and Shermi Villanueva, two charges of assault with a handgun, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm after hearing evidence presented over three days. If convicted as charged, he may face life in prison. According to public defender Aaron Jansen, it is unclear whether Holder will testify in his own defense: “That, ultimately, is his decision. He was under a lot of emotional duress [that day]. He was very close to his mother, who had recently passed away a few months before. He’s also had a substantial mental health history predating all of this, and he was getting treatment, and his medication dosage was high. He was even subjected to electroshock therapy as a last resort to help him.”

Jansen expects to fight the two counts of first-degree attempted murder. "Those would be properly charged as assault with a deadly weapon." So we'll be litigating that," he says. "If not during the trial, then at the time of sentence." The evidence given to the grand jury said that Hussle, born Ermias Asghedom, arrived at his business "unannounced" the day of the shooting and was conversing with friends when Holder entered suddenly. Holder and Hussle, who knew each other, began a four-minute chat in which "Asghedom accused Mr. Holder of snitching, which is a very serious charge in the gang world," McKinney told the grand jury.

 Stated grand jury witness Herman Douglas, who works for Asghedom and was present throughout the talk.“Nipsey was basically looking out for him, telling him that, you know, ‘I haven’t read it, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but you need to address it.’ That’s what Nipsey was doing,” Holder walked away after the brief talk, ended up eating some chili cheese fries, and returned six minutes later, according to evidence. McKinney testified before the grand jury. "As he approached, he was ready to fire as many rounds as he needed and shoot as many people as he needed to assure he killed Nipsey Hussle." The holder is said to have fled the scene of the incident with a lady who subsequently turned herself in for questioning. She told grand jurors that she saw Holder with both firearms and chased him away after he threatened to attack her while armed. Holder allegedly hid in a hotel before being apprehended two days later in neighboring Bellflower. Asghedom, who received two posthumous Grammys for his songs Racks in Middle and Higher, grew up in South Los Angeles and was known for giving back to the neighborhood with his time and money. He'd been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Record for his famous Victory Lap album before his death, and he'd attended the February awards event with his fiancée Lauren London and daughter Emani. He said why the project meant so much to him "There are life tales on there."You look at other albums that have been recognized in the past and you see the same quality. I know it’s my music, and I’m close to it, but I’m a fan of hip-hop, and I know what good rap music sounds like. It reminded me of moments I’ve had with classic rap albums.” 

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