Nipsey Hussle (born born Ermias Asghedom) was shot and killed in March 2019 — over two years ago — outside his Marathon clothing store in South LA. But the man who is accused of murdering the beloved LA rap icon, Eric R. Holder Jr. has yet to stand trial. That is reportedly going to change in just a few months, according to a new report from Rolling Stone. The publication shared today that a Los Angeles County judge officially set the jury trial date for January 5th, 2022. “He’s nervous, but he knows it’s time to get the case moving to trial,” said Aaron Jansen, a deputy public defender who is Holder’s most recent lawyer. Jansen also told Rolling Stone he will argue that Holder was “off his medication” the day of the shooting and experiencing “a substantial mental health issue.”
Holder’s trial was delayed repeatedly by one of his former lawyers getting elevated to judgeship, and another judge’s retirement, along with pandemic-related delays. Surveillance videos reportedly show Holder firing at least ten rounds at Nipsey using both a black semiautomatic handgun in one hand and a smaller silver revolver in the other. The video also reportedly shows Holder kicking Nipsey in the head after the shooting, before fleeing the scene.
After hearings back in May 2019, a grand jury indicted Holder on one count of murder for Nipsey’s death, two counts of attempted murder for the bullets that struck bystanders Kerry Lathan and Shermi Villanueva, two counts of assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted for these crimes he could face up to life in prison.