The Assassination of Nipsey Hussle in South LA

March 31st, 2019. A Sunday afternoon in South Los Angeles. Nipsey Hussle is standing in the parking lot of his own clothing store, the one he built to revitalize the neighborhood that raised him. He's helping a friend who got out of prison get some new clothes. And then someone walks up. Someone he knows. Someone from his own gang. What happens next will take less than two minutes, but the aftermath will raise questions that still haunt us today.

Who Was Nipsey Hussle? From Rollin' 60s Crips Member to Grammy-Nominated Rapper

There's this corner in South Los Angeles where Crenshaw Boulevard meets Slauson Avenue. That's where Ermias Asghedom built his empire. You know him as Nipsey Hussle. And on March 31st, 2019, that's where he died.

Nipsey grew up in the Crenshaw district during the crack epidemic. His dad was Eritrean, his mom was Black American, and by the time he was a teenager, he was homeless and getting jumped into the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips. In that environment, you either joined or you became a target.

But Nipsey was different. He had this entrepreneurial brain that most people in his situation never get to develop. He started selling mixtapes out of his car trunk in the same parking lot where he'd eventually open Marathon Clothing.

The $100 Mixtape That Changed Everything and Caught Jay-Z's Attention

In 2013, he released his Crenshaw mixtape as a free download. But then he printed a thousand physical copies and sold them for a hundred dollars each. Jay-Z bought a hundred copies. That's ten thousand dollars. Suddenly everyone understood that Nipsey wasn't playing the same game.

By 2017, he'd gone from selling CDs out of his trunk to owning property on that same block. He opened Marathon Clothing and was buying back the entire strip mall to build mixed-use housing so the community could own their own neighborhood. He co-founded Vector 90, this tech incubator designed to get kids from Crenshaw into Silicon Valley careers. And he was doing all of this while still claiming Rollin' 60s. He was meeting with the LAPD to discuss gang violence prevention, but he never renounced his affiliation. That duality made him accessible. It also made him vulnerable.

Eric Holder Jr.: The Troubled Aspiring Rapper Known as "Shitty Cuz"

Eric Holder Jr. was also Rollin' 60s. He also grew up in Crenshaw. He also wanted to be a rapper. But while Nipsey was ascending to Grammy nominations, Holder was falling apart.

At nineteen, Holder was diagnosed with auditory schizophrenia. In gang culture, mental illness gets interpreted as weakness or aggression. Holder tried to get help at mental health facilities, but nothing stuck. By 2019, he was basically homeless, watching Nipsey's success from a distance.

Rumors had started circulating that Holder had snitched. Whether it was true almost doesn't matter. In that world, the accusation alone is a death sentence. And if you're already hearing voices and struggling with reality, that rumor becomes gasoline on a fire.

March 31, 2019: The Day Nipsey Hussle Was Shot Outside Marathon Clothing

Sunday, March 31st, 2019. Nipsey shows up at Marathon Clothing around two in the afternoon. No security. He's there to help a friend named Kerry Lathan who'd finished a twenty-year prison sentence. Nipsey wants to get him fresh clothes before he sees his family.

Around the same time, Eric Holder is driving with a woman named Bryannita Nicholson, a Lyft driver he'd been casually seeing. Holder tells her to pull into the strip mall for food. When they pull in, Nicholson gets excited. "Ooh, there goes Nipsey, he fine. I want to take a picture with him."

The Conversation About Snitching That Triggered a Murder

Holder walks over to Nipsey. What happens next lasts about four minutes. Nipsey doesn't greet him with hostility. He greets him with a warning.

"You need to address it," Nipsey tells him. "People got some paperwork on you."

In gang terminology, "paperwork" means official documents proving you cooperated with law enforcement. Nipsey is saying, "I'm hearing rumors about you snitching, and there's supposedly evidence. You need to handle this before it gets worse."

Holder gets defensive. "Did you see any paperwork?" Nipsey admits he hasn't, but the word is out there. Nicholson takes her selfie with Nipsey and goes back to the car.

Nine Minutes to Murder: The Timeline That Proved Premeditation

Holder walks into Master Burger, orders chili cheese fries, then gets back in Nicholson's car. And this is when everything changes.

Nicholson testified that Holder suddenly pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun and started loading it. "What are you doing?" Holder says, "You talk too much. I ought to slap you." Then he tells her to drive around the block and park in an alley. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

That's nine minutes from the conversation to the shooting. Nine minutes where he could have driven away. Instead, he loaded two guns, positioned his getaway driver, and walked back.

The Brutal Shooting: How Nipsey Hussle Was Killed in Broad Daylight

At 3:18 PM, Eric Holder walks back into that parking lot carrying two guns. A black semi-automatic in one hand. A silver revolver in the other. Surveillance cameras caught everything. He doesn't hesitate. He walks straight to Nipsey and starts shooting.

Kerry Lathan gets shot in the back. The bullet goes through his bowel and damages his spine. He ends up in a wheelchair. Nipsey gets hit multiple times. Witnesses hear him say, "You got me."

After Nipsey falls to the ground, already dying, Holder walks over and kicks him in the head. Twice. In gang culture, they call it stomping someone out. Prosecutors later used that kick to prove this wasn't a heat-of-the-moment reaction. This was personal.

Holder runs back to the alley. "Drive! Drive! Or I'll slap you." Nicholson floors it. She drops him off and goes home. It's only when she turns on the news that night that she realizes what she was part of.

Autopsy Results: The Eleven Gunshot Wounds That Killed Nipsey Hussle

The autopsy report is brutal. Eleven gunshot wounds from at least ten separately fired shots. One bullet cut through his spine. Even if he'd survived the head wound, he would have been paralyzed for life. He was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM.

The Manhunt and Arrest of Eric Holder Jr. at a Mental Health Facility

The LAPD had crystal-clear surveillance footage. By April 1st, they'd identified Holder. Bryannita Nicholson saw her car on the news and went to the police station. She cooperated fully and got immunity.

On April 2nd, Eric Holder Jr. was arrested. He checked himself into a mental health facility in Bellflower. His surrender at a psychiatric hospital was the first hint of the defense strategy his lawyers would use.

The Murder Trial of Eric Holder Jr.: Premeditation vs. Heat of Passion

The trial started in June 2022. Deputy District Attorney John McKinney hammered on that nine-minute cooling-off period. Holder had time to reconsider. Instead, he drove around, loaded weapons, positioned his getaway driver, and came back. That's premeditation. The kick to Nipsey's head proved this was calculated.

Public Defender Aaron Jansen argued that being called a snitch by Nipsey Hussle was such severe provocation that it triggered a heat of passion response. In gang culture, being labeled a snitch is a death threat. Those nine minutes weren't enough time for someone with auditory schizophrenia to calm down.

Bryannita Nicholson destroyed that defense. She described how he threatened her and loaded the gun deliberately. Herman "Cowboy" Douglas testified that Nipsey was trying to help. "He was trying to help the guy."

Kerry Lathan was the most heartbreaking witness. Even after being shot and paralyzed, he refused to identify Holder in court. He was still living by the no-snitching code even after becoming a victim.

Guilty Verdict and 60-Year Sentence for Nipsey Hussle's Killer

On July 6th, 2022, the jury came back. Guilty of first-degree murder. They rejected the heat of passion defense. Nine minutes was enough time to make a choice.

On February 22nd, 2023, Judge H. Clay Jacke II sentenced Eric Holder Jr. to sixty years to life in prison. Twenty-five years to life for the murder. Another twenty-five years for using a firearm. Ten years for assault.

Judge Jacke said, "I am very mindful of what was presented as to Mr. Holder's mental health. I am also mindful of the devastation caused to the victims and their families. I believe this sentence balances the two."

Nipsey Hussle's Legacy: How The Marathon Continues After His Death

Nipsey wasn't killed during a crime. He was killed while helping someone in the parking lot of a store he built to save his community.

Rival gangs in Los Angeles declared a truce and marched together to honor him. Vector 90 is still operating. The Marathon Clothing brand lives on. Destination Crenshaw is under construction. A permanent monument to his vision.

Nipsey used to say, "The highest human act is to inspire." His death was a brutal interruption of that act. The man was stopped. But the marathon he started is still running.