The Assassination of Nipsey Hussle in South LA

1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,040
March 31, 2019. A Sunday afternoon in South Los Angeles. Nipsey Hussle is standing in the

2
00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:15,000
parking lot of his own clothing store. The one he built to revitalize the neighborhood

3
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:19,880
that raised him. He's helping a friend who got out of prison get some new clothes.

4
00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:26,160
And then someone walks up. Someone he knows. Someone from his own gang. What happens next

5
00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:31,240
will take less than two minutes, but the aftermath will raise questions that are still with us today.

6
00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:59,600
There's this corner in South Los Angeles where Khrinshaw Boulevard meets Slauson Avenue.

7
00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:05,600
That's where Hermes Asgardom built his empire. You might know him better as Nipsey Hussle.

8
00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:12,600
And on March 31, 2019, that's where he died. Nipsey grew up in the Khrinshaw district

9
00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,600
during the crack epidemic. His dad was Ebtrium. His mom was Black American.

10
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:22,600
And by the time he was a teenager, he was homeless and getting jumped into the Roland 60s neighborhood

11
00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,600
of the Khrips. In that environment, you either joined or you became a target.

12
00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:33,000
But Nipsey was different. He had this entrepreneurial brain that most people in his situation never

13
00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:38,200
get to develop. He started selling mixtape set of his card trunk in the same parking lot where

14
00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:44,400
he'd eventually open marathon clothing. In 2013, he released his Khrinshaw mixtape as a free

15
00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:50,600
download. But then he printed a thousand physical copies and sold them for $100 each.

16
00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:56,800
Jay-Z bought a hundred copies. That's $10,000. Suddenly, everyone understood that Nipsey wasn't

17
00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:02,600
playing the same game. A 2017, he'd gone from selling CDs out of his trunk to owning property

18
00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:08,100
on that same block. He opened marathon clothing and was buying back the entire strip mall to

19
00:02:08,100 --> 00:02:13,320
buy mixt used housing so their community could own their own neighborhood. He co-founded

20
00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:18,600
Vector 90, this tech incubator designed to get kids from Khrinshaw into Silicon Valley

21
00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:24,120
careers. And he was doing all of this while still claiming Roland 60s. He was meeting with

22
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:29,800
the LAPD to discuss gang violence prevention, but he never renounced his affiliation. That

23
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:34,400
duality made him accessible. It also made him vulnerable.

24
00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:40,520
Eric Holder Jr. was also Roland 60s. He grew up in Khrinshaw as well. He also wanted to

25
00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,560
be a rapper. But while Nipsey was ascending to Grammy nominations, Holder was falling

26
00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:52,320
apart. At 19, Holder was diagnosed with auditory schizophrenia. And gang culture, mental illness

27
00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:58,240
gets interpreted as weakness or aggression. Holder tried to get help at mental health facilities,

28
00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:05,440
but nothing stuck. By 2019, he was basically homeless watching Nipsey's success from a distance.

29
00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:10,160
Rumors had started circulating that Holder had snitched. Whether it was true almost didn't

30
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:15,360
matter. In that world, the accusation alone is a death sentence. And if you're already

31
00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:21,880
hearing voices and struggling with reality, that rumor becomes gasoline on a fire.

32
00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:29,160
Sunday March 31, 2019. Nipsey shows up at marathon clothing around 2 in the afternoon.

33
00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,240
No security. He's there to help a friend named Keith Lathon who'd finished a 20-year prison

34
00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,880
sentence. Nipsey wants to help get him fresh clothes before he sees his family. Around

35
00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:44,280
the same time, Eric Holder is driving with a woman named Brianita Nicholson, a lift driver

36
00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:49,680
he'd been casually seeing. Holder tells her to pull up to the strip mall for some food.

37
00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:55,000
When they pull in, Nicholson gets excited. "Oh, there goes Nipsey. He fine. I want to take

38
00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:01,080
a picture with him." That's what she said. Holder walks over to Nipsey. What happens next?

39
00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:06,000
Lasts about 4 minutes. Nipsey doesn't greet him with hostility. He greets him with

40
00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,440
a warning. "You need to address it," Nipsey tells him. "People got some paperwork on you."

41
00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:16,000
In gang terminology, paperwork means official documents proving you cooperated with law

42
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,920
enforcement. Nipsey is saying, "I'm hearing rumors about you snitching and there's supposedly

43
00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,840
some evidence. You need to handle this before it gets worse." Holder gets defensive. "Did

44
00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:31,440
you see any paperwork?" Nipsey admits he hasn't. But the word is out there. Nicholson takes

45
00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:37,400
her selfie with Nipsey and gets back into the car. Holder walks into Master Burger, orders

46
00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:43,240
chili cheese fries, then gets back into Nicholson's car. And this is when everything changes.

47
00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:47,600
Nicholson's testified that Holder suddenly pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun and

48
00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:53,600
started loading it. "What are you doing?" she asks. "You talk too much. I ought to slap you."

49
00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,680
Then he tells her to drive around the block and park in an alley. "Wait here. I'll be

50
00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:03,880
right back." That's nine minutes from the conversation to the shooting. Nine minutes where he could

51
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:09,120
have driven away. Instead, he loaded two guns, positioned his getaway driver and walked

52
00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:16,520
back. At 3.18 pm, Eric Holder walks back into that parking lot carrying two guns. A black

53
00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:22,840
semi-automatic and one, a silver revolver in the other. Surveillance cameras called everything.

54
00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:27,960
He doesn't hesitate. He walks straight to Nipsey and starts shooting. Carrie Lathen gets

55
00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:32,920
shot in the back. The bullet goes through his bowel and damages his spine. He ends up in

56
00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:39,560
a wheelchair. Nipsey gets hit multiple times. Witnesses hear him say, "You got me."

57
00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:44,320
After Nipsey falls to the ground, already dying, Holder walks over and kicks him in the head

58
00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:50,720
twice. Prosecutors later used that kick to prove this wasn't a heat of the moment reaction.

59
00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:57,080
This was personal. Holder runs back to the alley. Drive, drive, or I'll slap you.

60
00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:01,600
Nicholson floors it. She drops him off and goes home. It's only when she turns on the news

61
00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:08,360
that night that she realizes what she's a part of. The autopsy report is brutal. Eleven

62
00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:14,600
gunshot wounds from at least ten separately fired shots. One bullet cut through his spine.

63
00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:19,280
Even if he survived the head wound, he would have been paralyzed for life. He was pronounced

64
00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:26,560
dead at 3.55 pm. The LAPD had crystal clear surveillance footage. By April 1st, they'd

65
00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:31,560
identified Holder. Brianita Nicholson saw her car on the news and went to the police station

66
00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:38,920
herself. She cooperated fully and got immunity. On April 2nd, Eric Holder Jr. was arrested.

67
00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:43,880
He checked himself into a mental health facility in Bellflower. His surrender at a psychiatric

68
00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:48,920
hospital was the first hints of the defense strategy his lawyers would then use. The

69
00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:55,680
trial started in June 2022. Deputy District Attorney John McKinney hammered on that first

70
00:06:55,680 --> 00:07:01,480
nine-minute cooling-off period. Holder had time to reconsider. Instead, he drove around,

71
00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:07,880
loaded his weapons, positioned his getaway driver, and then came back. That's premeditation.

72
00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:13,800
The kick to Nipsy's head proved this was calculated. Public defender Aaron Jansen argued that being

73
00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:19,320
called a snitch by Nipsy Hussle was such a severe provocation that it triggered a heat of passion

74
00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:24,240
response and gang culture being labeled a snitch as a death threat. Those nine minutes

75
00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:29,640
weren't enough time for someone with auditory schizophrenia to calm down. Brianita Nicholson

76
00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:35,360
destroyed that defense. She described how he threatened her and loaded the gun deliberately.

77
00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:40,360
Herman Cowboy Douglas testified that Nipsy was trying to help Eric Holder. Carrie

78
00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:46,040
Latham was the most heartbreaking witness. Even after being shot and paralyzed, he refused

79
00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:51,680
to identify Holder in court. He was still living by the no-snitching code even after becoming

80
00:07:51,680 --> 00:08:00,560
a victim himself. On July 6, 2022, the jury came back guilty of first degree murder. They rejected

81
00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:05,800
the heat of passion defense. Nine minutes was enough time to make a choice. On February

82
00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:13,640
22, 2023, the judge sentenced Eric Holder Jr. to 60 years to life in prison. 25 years to

83
00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:20,760
life for the murder, another 25 for using a firearm, 10 years for assault. Judge Jackie said,

84
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:26,400
"I am very mindful of what was presented as to Mr. Holder's mental health. I'm also mindful

85
00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:30,880
of the devastation caused to the victims and their families. I believe this sentence balances

86
00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:36,880
the two." Nipsy Hussle wasn't killed during a crime. He was killed while he was helping

87
00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:42,720
someone in the parking lot of a store he built to save his community. Rival gangs in LA declared

88
00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:49,120
a truce and marched together to honor him. Vector 90 is still operating. The marathon clothing

89
00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:55,000
brand lives on. Destination Khrinshal is under construction. A permanent monument to his

90
00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:02,320
vision. Nipsy used to say, "The highest human act is to inspire. His death was a brutal interpretation

91
00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:08,080
of that act. The man himself was stopped, but the marathon he started is still running."

92
00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:21,760
Thanks for listening to 10 Minute Murder, bingeable true crime stories. My name is Joe, I'm

93
00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:28,480
the host and let's get to an email, subject background noise. Hey Joe, do you record at home

94
00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,840
or somewhere else? I'm always impressed by how clean the audio sounds, especially in comparison

95
00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:39,920
to other true crime podcasts that I listen to. Kara in Red Bank, New Jersey. And Kara, I

96
00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:44,920
do record at home. I'm not like in a bedroom or living room or sitting in my kitchen doing

97
00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:49,120
this. I'm in a studio that I built here at my house. It's actually a converted mud

98
00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:55,560
room. And if you're picturing a small mud room, you're wrong. It's for some reason this house

99
00:09:55,560 --> 00:10:00,600
has a giant mud room. And I didn't need all this space for a mud room so I converted it

100
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:07,040
into a recording studio. I did that before I actually did the podcast because before the

101
00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:12,080
podcast I just did voice overwork. It's a pretty good chance that you've heard my voice on

102
00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:17,320
TV or on radio and something you've heard before before this podcast was ever even a thing.

103
00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:21,160
And I recorded it right here in this room. So during the pandemic when I decided that I

104
00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:25,200
wanted to get into podcasting, I already had all the stuff. Studio, the microphone, the

105
00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:29,520
whole nine yards. And another reason that the audio sounds very good is because I have a

106
00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:35,400
very good microphone. A lot of podcasters start out with like a $30, $50, $100 microphone.

107
00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:41,080
This one I'm using, it costs $1000. And I know that sounds crazy, but in the world of voice

108
00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:44,840
over, you need a really good microphone. But when you get a really good microphone,

109
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:49,080
it picks up everything in the entire room that you're in. So you need a studio in order to

110
00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:53,120
use that microphone. So that's why I have a studio. Thank you for the question. And if

111
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,400
you listening to me right now are a brand new listener to this podcast, make sure you

112
00:10:57,400 --> 00:11:04,560
hit subscribe and then go to 10minutemerder.com. You can go to the websites, send me an email.

113
00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:08,120
You can also sign up for the newsletter. You can check out the murder blog, all kinds

114
00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:13,400
of things on the website. 10minutemerder.com. Before you run off, if you're enjoying the

115
00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:17,720
podcast, please share it with your friends and your family and rate it five stars wherever

116
00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:21,260
that's possible. Thank you again for listening to 10minute

117
00:11:21,260 --> 00:11:22,720
murder. See you next time.

118
00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:26,720
[Music]