Nipsey Hussle’s Killer’s Request For Lesser Charges Denied

The man who ended the life of Nipsey Hussle will not have his murder conviction downgraded to a lesser charge. 

On Monday, Judge H. Clay Jacke denied a request to have the charges switched to second-degree murder or manslaughter. Holder was convicted in July of first-degree murder for gunning down Hussle outside of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31st, 2019, after the rapper and entrepreneur confronted Holder about snitching allegations. Two other men, Kerry Lathan and Shermi Villanueva were injured when Holder opened fire. For their assaults, he was convicted of attempted voluntary manslaughter.

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Jacke also shot down Holder’s petition for a new trial. But Holder’s lawyer, Aaron Jansen, maintains that lesser charges are warranted because his client acted in the “heat of passion” when he shot Hussle 11 times. However, a jury concluded that Hussle’s murder was premeditated, occurring nearly ten minutes after they had a conversation in the parking lot. 

In the aftermath of Nip’s untimely death, his Marathon store became a shrine of sorts, with fans coming from across the world to pay their respects. His Puma collection continued to move forward, and sales for his clothing line spiked drastically, causing the online store to shut down briefly. In 2020, Nip received two Grammy Awards posthumously: one for best rap performance for “Racks in the Middle” and the other for best rap/sung performance for “Higher.”

As a result of the defense’s last-ditch efforts to spare Holder from possible life behind bars, his sentencing, which was slated to take place Monday, was rescheduled for February 22nd, 2022.