After hearing testimony on the lifetime of mental illness, abuse, and suffering of the man convicted of shooting Nipsey Hussle on Wednesday, a Los Angeles court sentenced him to 60 years to life in prison.
The 33-year-old Eric R. Holder Jr. was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of the Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist in the South Los Angeles neighbourhood where both men grew up in very similar circumstances. Holder Jr. was found guilty of the murder in February 2019.
I take into account all that has been mentioned regarding Mr. Holder’s mental health,” Jacke remarked. Moreover, my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones, who have suffered a terrible loss. This statement, I think, strikes a good middle ground.
During a monthlong trial in July, a jury also found Holder guilty of two charges of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm for shooting at two other individuals at the scene who survived.
For the murder, Jacke gave Holder a 25-to-life sentence; for the weapon enhancement, he added another 25 years; and for assault, he added 10 years. Many further sentences were set, and he mandated that others be served simultaneously. In addition, he praised Holder for the almost four years he has spent in office since the tragedy.
Source: CBC
Other from telling the judge he understood the situation when he was asked, Holder, who was clad in orange jail clothes, gazed straight ahead throughout the proceedings and did not respond when the punishment was read.
Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, a close friend of Hussle’s who was present at the time of his death and who testified on his behalf during the trial, gave an impact statement to the judge before the sentence was handed down, telling him that the loss of Hussle was devastating for him personally and for the South Los Angeles community, where he was a business leader and an inspiration.
“Nipsey was my buddy, he was like a son, he was like a dad,” said Douglas, who removed his black cowboy hat and donned a hoodie with an image of Hussle in court. Right now, our neighbourhood has lost everything. All because of the carelessness of one individual; his actions have disrupted an entire neighbourhood.
Douglas claimed that after the closure of Hussle’s store and the other companies he patronised, “the Homies don’t have nothing to do.”
The judge was informed by Douglas, “I don’t care what you give this guy. It has nothing to do with how much time has passed. What I need to know is why. Everyone is curious as to why. So why would someone do that?
Hussle’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his two young children, actress Lauren London, did not show up to any of the trial, and neither did any of his family.
Jansen highlighted Holder’s upbringing of physical abuse and poverty in order to argue for a reduced sentence of 25 years to life, which would give some opportunity of parole and rehabilitation.
At reaching adulthood, Holder allegedly had “a horrific spiral into mental disease,” according to Jansen. This caused “years of anguish and struggle” with concerns including excruciating auditory hallucinations that persisted despite therapy.
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