The beloved entertainer, born Ermias Joseph Asgedom, was fatally shot on March 31, 2019, near his Marathon clothing store in South Los Angeles. He was 33.
Holder, who knew Hussell, approached him on allegations that he had called him a snitch, according to prosecutors.
“We told you that Mr. Holder Jr. shot Mr. Asgedom,” defense attorney Aaron Jansen said during closing arguments last week, asking jurors to consider lesser charges. “We told you it was premeditated murder and that he acted in the heat of passion. And we have told you in what this heat of passion he acted upon—it consists in being publicly called a snitch by one so famous as Nipsey Hussell, and we believe the evidence shows that.”
Prosecutor John McKinney, meanwhile, said Holder was not consumed by rage that day.
“We have a step-by-step methodically executed plan to return to this parking lot and kill. It’s not done in the heat of the moment, it’s actually done 10 minutes into the conversation, it’s actually done after he shakes Nipsey Hustle’s hand,” he said.
After the verdict, Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, a friend of Hussell, said the late artist never called Holder an informer and still wanted answers about why his friend was shot.
“It was so pointless, why?” he asked rhetorically.
Douglas said the conversation between Hussell and Holder was “never heated” on that fateful day.
“I’m just sad, I miss my friend. He should have been here, he should still be here. He was the underdog who made it,” said Douglas, who testified at the trial.
“I don’t wish death on people,” he said of Holder. “Give us some closure, let us know why.”
A father of two, Grammy winner and successful entrepreneur, Hussle was the founder of the record label All Money In, which he debuted with the release of “The Marathon,” the rapper’s fifth official mixtape. His 2013 release “Crenshaw” sold more than 1,000 cassettes at $100, according to his biography from Press Atlantic Records.
Hussle has collaborated with dozens of artists during his career, including Kendrick Lamar, Drake, YG, Ty Dolla Sign, Meek Mill and Young Thug.
The incumbent is expected to be sentenced in September. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment.
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