Rapper Nipsey Hussle’s killer, 33-year-old Eric R. Holder, was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison on Wednesday.
Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke II sentenced Holder to “25 years to life for the murder, another 25 years for a firearm sentencing enhancement, and an additional 10 years for assault with a firearm,” according to a report by the Associated Press.
Judge Jacke also gave Holder credit for the nearly four years he has served since the shooting, which occurred in March 2019.
“I am very mindful of what was presented as to Mr. Holder’s mental health,” Judge Jacke said. “I am also mindful of the devastation caused to the victims and their families. I believe this sentence balances the two.”
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In 2019, Hussle, whose real name was Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, was fatally shot by Holder outside of the Marathon Clothing Store, which the rapper owned.
Hussle died at age 33, after just having released his major-label debut album, which earned him his first Grammy nomination.
Both Hussle and Holder were from the same South Los Angeles neighborhood and “grew up in very similar circumstances,” the Associated Press reported. They had known each other for years, and both were aspiring rappers, as well as members of the same gang.
But their paths ended up diverging, as “Holder never found the same success as Hussle, who would become a local hero and a national celebrity,” the outlet noted.
While Hussle went on to become a local hero and Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, court testimony revealed that Holder suffered from abuse and struggled with a lifetime of mental illness.
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