A California man has been sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for the 2019 killing of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle.
A jury had found Eric R Holder Jr, 32, guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Hussle outside a clothing store the rapper owned in south Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke sentenced Holder to 25 years to life in state prison for murdering Hussle and an additional 25 years to life based on a sentencing enhancement because he used a gun.
Holder must serve an additional 10 years in prison on assault convictions for shooting two other men who were with Hussle on the day of the killing.
In March 2019, Holder shot Hussle at least 10 times following a chance meeting on a Sunday afternoon in the neighbourhood where they both grew up.
After a brief conversation, Holder left and returned about 10 minutes later and opened fire, killing Hussle and wounding two bystanders.
Public defender Aaron Jansen acknowledged that Holder killed Hussle but argued that he should not be convicted of first-degree murder because he said the attack was not pre-meditated.
Jansen said Holder acted in "the heat of passion" after Hussle told him there were rumours of him "snitching" to police, which he considered a serious offence. Holder did not testify during the trial.
Hussle, who was 33 when he died, had publicly acknowledged that he joined a gang as a teenager. He later became an activist and entrepreneur as he found success with rap music and collaborated with artists including Snoop Dogg and Drake.
In 2020, Hussle won two posthumous Grammy Awards including one for Racks in the Middle, released a few weeks before his death.
Source: Reuters
