Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Asks Judge To Reduce Murder Conviction, Judge Rejects Request

December 19, 2022 by Ariel Whitely in Music with 0 Comments

Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle’s Killer Asks Judge To Reduce Murder Conviction, Judge Rejects Request

Eric Ronald Holder Jr., the man convicted of killing Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle, wants to serve less time behind bars.

According to reports, Eric Holder Jr., 33, claims jurors delivered a contradictory verdict back in July, so he’s filing a new motion asking that his premeditated murder conviction be reduced to voluntary manslaughter.

Nipsey Hussle, Eric Holder

Eric Holder’s attorney, Aaron Jansen, reportedly said the motion will argue that jurors returned an “inconsistent” verdict by accepting his “heat of passion” defense in regards to the two surviving victims in the case but rejecting it when it came to Nipsey Hussle.

Reports state the jurors ultimately agreed with prosecutors and convicted Holder Jr. of murder for the daylight ambush that claimed the life of the West Coast rapper. However, when it came to the two other men wounded in the shooting — Kerry Lathan and Shermi Villanueva — jurors rejected prosecutors’ attempted murder charges and convicted Holder Jr. of attempted voluntary manslaughter instead.

Nipsey Hussle, born Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was reportedly standing next to the pair between two cars when Holder Jr. started firing.

Nipsey Hussle

According to recent reports, a judge rejected the defense motion to have Holder Jr.’s first-degree murder conviction reduced to second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter on Monday (December 19). Los Angeles Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jacke also denied a defense motion for a new trial for Holder Jr., whose sentencing was scheduled for February 22.

As previously reported, Holder Jr. fatally shot Hussle in front of the rapper’s South Los Angeles clothing store, The Marathon Clothing, on March 31, 2019. Hussle was 33 at the time of his death.