Gruesome details about rapper Nipsey Hussle’s murder outside his Marathon clothing store were revealed in court last week.
The prosecutor told the jurors that, Eric Holder, the man who stood accused of shooting the Grammy-winning rapper, acted in a premeditated fashion.
Holder was allegedly upset over a discussion about snitching, which the pair reportedly had before the deadly altercation.
Nipsey Hussle’s death was described in court
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney said during his opening statement, that Mr. Holder, an aspiring rapper, had time to think about killing Hussle.
Holder reportedly shot Hussle at least ten times and then kicked the rapper in the head before fleeing, McKinney told the jury.
The prosecutor described the sequence of events on March 31, 2019, that led to Holder allegedly shooting Hussle, real name Ermias Asghedom.
McKinney said Nipsey’s conversation with Holder had something to do with “snitching.”
The pair both grew up in the South Los Angeles neighborhood and were members of the same gang, the Rollin’ 60s; it was a district Hussle was helping revitalize.
The store where the shooting occurred is located in the Crenshaw commercial district where Hussle owned most of the units.
Holder’s defense doesn’t deny he pulled the trigger
Holder faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. He will spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.
In his opening statement, the prosecutor showed jurors videos and photos of the shooting and its aftermath.
A video captured the shooting and Holder fleeing the scene, wearing a red shirt and bandana armed with a semiautomatic gun and a revolver.
His public defender, Aaron Jansen, argued Holder fatally shooting the beloved rapper was not premeditated.
On Wednesday, Jansen said Holder was so “triggered” and “didn’t have time to cool off” over the snitching accusation that he shot the 33-year-old rapper in the “heat of passion.”
Former gang member Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, who worked at The Marathon and was with Hussle during his conversation with Holder, testified that Hussle didn’t use the actual word “snitch” and he didn’t sense any animosity between both men.
“He was saying ‘I heard there was some paperwork floating around,’” said Douglas, who recalled Hussle’s words to Holder per TMZ, which was believed to be a reference to police documents.
Douglas was an employee at the clothing store and went into the store when Holder returned with two weapons firing multiple shots into Hussle.
Hussle was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. The coroner determined the rapper died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso.