Nipsey Hussle‘s killer Eric Holder had some issues with the 2022 trial that ended in his conviction, so he filed an appeal — an appeal that has now been denied by California’s Court of Appeal.
On Tuesday (November 5), judges in the court’s Second District upheld Holder’s guilty verdict.
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There were two main parts to the appeal. First, Holder claimed that the court was wrong to disallow part of his attorney’s closing argument — a part that asked the jury to imagine Holder’s state of mind during the shooting. But, the appeals court ruled, that speculation was correctly ruled out because Holder chose not to say his piece during the trial.
“Appellant did not testify, and no other evidence about what appellant was thinking or feeling prior to the shooting was presented to the jury. Thus, the inferences about appellant’s specific thoughts and feelings that defense counsel purported to draw were not based on the evidence,” the decision reads.
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Another part of the appeal hinged on whether a firearm enhancement had correctly been added to Holder’s sentence. He lost that argument too.
“[T]he trial court fully understood and properly exercised its discretion when it declined to dismiss the firearm enhancement,” the decision continues.
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Holder’s 2019 killing of Nipsey Hussle had a massive effect on the Hip Hop community, one that Freddie Gibbs reflects on in his new song “On the Set,” admitting the California rapper’s tragic murder almost made him quit music.
Gangsta Gibbs shared the track on Thursday (October 31) along with a music video, just a day before he dropped his new album You Only Die 1nce as a Halloween treat for fans.
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Produced by Pops and Mischa Chilak, “On the Set” finds the Gary, Indiana native tackling a number of heavy topics over a shimmering organ and guitar sample, including the fatal 2019 shooting of his friend and collaborator Nipsey.
“I was gonna retire from rap when I seen that shit with Nipsey/ Crazy when that shit hit your peers, that shit be hitting different,” he raps.
Gibbs also raps about Diddy‘s arrest and the deaths of 2Pac, Biggie, Young Dolph and Rich Homie Quan, as well as soul legend Frankie Beverly.
“God damn, they done got Diddy/ I used to look up to that n-gga even when that n-gga ‘Pac dissed him/ I wonder if he paid off ‘Pac killers/ I wish them, I wish them n-ggas in L.A. ain’t never pop Biggie,” he spits.
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“When you die they ain’t got shit for your mom/ They rather ice their neck out/ Rest in peace to Rich Homie Quan/ You was too young to check out.”
