A photo of Nipsey Hussle’s alleged killer with battered face including swollen jaw and black eye went viral.
Eric Holder made his first appearance back in court on Thursday after it was first reported that he was jumped by other inmates who badly beat him up in jail.
A photo of Holder in court showing his battered face went viral on Friday (July 1), with his left side face swollen and eyes bloodshot and swollen. There also appeared to be a laceration to his nose, forehead, and lips, and both of his jaws and chin appeared to be swollen.
Eric Holder was practically unrecognizable when looking at one of his older photos. Rolling Stone also confirmed that he had three staples in his head due to being sliced in the head.
Holder was reportedly attacked after attending court on Monday afternoon.
The attack came days after the opening statements by the prosecution, which said that Holder premeditatedly planned to murder the rapper when he left after an argument with Nipsey Hussle, who accused him of being a snitch and returned nine minutes later armed with two loaded guns which he used to shoot the rapper ten times.
As Nipsey Hussle, real name Airmiess Asghedom, lay dying and bleeding out, a cruel Holder kicked him in the head as he told him, “You’re Through.”
Holder has pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
However, the prosecution has argued that Holder’s actions prove otherwise. Details about the rapper’s death were shared for the first time as the prosecutor noted that Hussle was shot from “literally the bottom of his feet to the top of his head” and that his chances of survival were highly likely to have been free from disability as one bullet cut in half or “transected his spine.”
On Thursday, before the prosecution closed their case, Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Lawrence Nguyen testified about the post-mortem. He spoke on graphic photos shown in court detailing the injuries the rapper sustained.
According to the medical examiner, there were 11 gunshot wounds, with photos showing one where the gunshot entry and exit wound was near the top of the rapper’s head, and another that entered the right abdomen blasted through his liver and severed his spinal cord.
According to Rolling Stone, Holder’s appearance on Thursday was for his very brief defense, which lasted less than three hours.
His Attorney Aaron Jansen called two witnesses in Holder’s defense, Hussle’s friend Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, who had testified for the prosecution, and a gang expert to speak on Holder’s connections to the Crips.
Holder has admitted to killing the rapper, but his lawyer is arguing that the crime was a crime of passion and not premeditated in a bid to get him off on a lesser offense which can mean less jail time.
The case is expected to be wrapped for closing arguments before the jury deliberates at the next hearing in the coming week.
