A 32-year-old man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of rapper Nipsey Hustle.
A Los Angeles jury also found Eric R. Holder Jr. guilty of two counts of attempted murder.
Holder, wearing a blue suit and a face mask, did not react when the jury reached its verdict after about six hours of deliberation.
Holder and Hussell have known each other for years, having grown up in the same street gang in South Los Angeles.
Image: Rapper Nipsey Hussle, pictured in 2018. Photo: AP
The shooting came after a conversation between them and two others about rumors that Holder was an informant for authorities.
Evidence against Holder included witness reports and nearby surveillance cameras that captured his arrival at the scene, the shooting and his departure.
His attorney, Aaron Jansen, did not deny he was the shooter, but said jurors should find him guilty of first degree murder, not murder.
Mr Janssen said Holder’s accusation that he was a whistleblower had caused “passions to flare”, adding: “It is a provocation that causes anger and strong emotion.”
Image: Eric Holder. Photo: Twitter/LAPD
But Deputy District Attorney John McKinney said the other participants in the conversation were calm, meaning that could not be the motive.
The time between the conversation and the shooting was more than enough time for Holder to plan the killing – a requirement for first-degree murder, Mr McKinney added.
Hussle – whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom – was 33 when he was gunned down outside his Los Angeles clothing store, having just released an album that earned him his first Grammy nomination.
The father of two was shot at least 10 times, the court heard.
He was a member of the South Los Angeles community where he owned several businesses.
He was also an advocate against gun violence and was scheduled to meet with Los Angeles law enforcement to discuss ways to stop gang violence.
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