By Omar Younis and Rich McKay
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A California man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting of Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle had his sentencing delayed on Thursday and rescheduled to Nov. 3.
Judge Clay Jacke of the Los Angeles Superior Court allowed the defense motion to delay the sentencing for about six weeks to give the defense attorneys for Eric Ronald Holder, 32, more time to prepare for the hearing.
In July, a Los Angeles County jury convicted Holder in the killing of Hussle outside a clothing store the rapper owned in south Los Angeles.
Holder shot Hussle at least 10 times following a chance meeting on a Sunday afternoon in March 2019 in the neighborhood 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 the defendant should not be convicted of first-degree murder because the attack was not premeditated.
Jansen said Holder had acted in “the heat of passion” after Hussle told him there were rumors of him “snitching” to police, which he considered a serious offense. Holder did not testify during the trial.
Holder also was convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter for wounding two bystanders in the incident.
While known professionally as Hussle – stylized as Hu$$le – he was born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom, and was 33 when he died. He was posthumously honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Hussle became known for his numerous mixtapes, including his “Bullets Ain’t Got No Name” series.
(Reporting by Omar Younis in Los Angeles and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
