A California jury has convicted a man on Wednesday of the 2019 murder of rapper Nipsey Hussle in Los Angeles.
After less than two full days of deliberations, the jury found Eric Holder guilty of first-degree murder.
Hussle, whose legal name was Ermias Asghedom, was shot dead outside of a clothing store he owned in South Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. He was 33 years old.
At trial, prosecutors said Holder shot Hussle following a chance encounter in a parking lot between the two men, who had both previously been members of the same street gang, the Rollin' 60s.
When Hussle told Holder he had heard that Holder had been cooperating with police, the man returned about 10 minutes later with a handgun and opened fire.
Holder's attorneys argued their client was not guilty of murder, but the lesser crime of involuntary manslaughter.
They acknowledged Holder had pulled the trigger, but argued he had acted in the "heat of passion" upon being called a snitch, and thus lacked premeditation.
“That heat of passion consisted of being called publicly a snitch by someone as famous as Nipsey Hussle,” defense attorney Aaron Jansen said at trial. “This is a provocation that stirs up rage and powerful emotion.”
Prior to his death, Hussle had been a Grammy-nominated star who had left behind gang life and wanted to improve his neighborhood. Posthumously, he earned three more Grammy nominations and two wins.
He was publicly mourned by a number of celebrities, including Rihanna, Drake, Issa Rae, and former president Barack Obama.
Since his death, his family has opened a second store for his brand, The Marathon Clothing, to carry on his legacy. They've said they plan to convert the original location, which closed following the shooting, into a community center offering music programs.
Correction: Nipsey Hussle's legal name was Ermias Asghedom. A previous version of this story used an incorrect spelling.