The man who admitted to killing rapper Nipsey Hussle in 2019 was attacked by two Los Angeles County inmates and cut with a razor as he went to court this week, delaying the trial for a while, his lawyer said. Eric Holder Jr., 33, lost consciousness and needed three staples to close a wound in the back of his head after being jumped into a cell while waiting to be taken to court Tuesday morning, according to his lawyer. , Aaron Jansen. When jurors arrived in court Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Clay Jack told them the proceedings had been suspended due to an “unforeseen medical incident” involving Holder. Holder returned to court Wednesday, but with staples visible on the back of his head and his face covered by a blanket for the first time in the trial. Late Wednesday morning, Jansen told reporters in the corridor of the courtroom that his client was attacked while in a cell with about 13 other detainees. Holder had his head down and his eyes resting when he was hit from behind, Jansen said, adding that the men punched him and cut him with a razor. Holder was taken to hospital and suffered bruises and abrasions on his face in addition to the injury, Jansen said. The two perpetrators did not say anything to Holder, according to Jansen, and the motive for the attack was not immediately clear. Despite the incident, Jansen said his client was “OK” to continue the trial. Both the prosecution and the defense filed their cases on Wednesday and the case is expected to be handed over to jurors by late Thursday. Hussle signed autographs and spoke to fans in the parking lot of the Crenshaw strip mall that housed the Marathon Clothing store when he had a conversation with Holder on March 31, 2019. Both men are members of the Crips Rollin 60s set that has long dominated the neighborhood. Hussle told Holder that there was a rumor that he had collaborated with a police investigation, the kind of gossip that quickly becomes deadly in gang circles, according to testimony given at trial. The story goes on Holder returned a few moments later with two pistols and opened fire. Hussle was shot 11 times and died shortly afterwards. Two other men were also injured. Holder was arrested two days later after the woman who served as his driver, who left unintentionally, was handed over to police. Jansen admitted that Holder committed the murder in his opening statement two weeks ago, but argued that his client should be convicted of manslaughter rather than murder. Hussle’s comments about the snitching left Holder “so furious and fired up” that he did not stop considering his actions before opening fire, Jansen said. The lawyer also said that Holder had no intention of harming Kerry Lathan or Sermi Vilanueva, the two men who were injured in the shooting but survived. If convicted of murder and attempted murder, Holder would face a de facto life sentence. Neither the prosecutor’s office, nor the Deputy Regional. Atty. John McKinney, who is prosecuting the case, commented on the attack on Holder. The prison’s destruction was not reported to jurors, and McKinney rebuked Jansen on Wednesday for discussing the attack with reporters in court, whom jurors may be hiding. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, which manages the county jail and is responsible for Holder’s safety while in custody, has repeatedly refused to provide information about the attack. A Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman told a Times reporter on Tuesday that she would request public records for any information about the attack. This story first appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
