Officials have verified that an incident took place early on Tuesday morning at the Los Angeles County jail where the man who is accused of killing rapper Nipsey Hussle is being held.
Aaron Jansen, Eric Holder’s public defender, informed KTLA that his client, who is 32 years old and was waiting to be transported to court while he was in a holding cell at the jail, was beaten by multiple individuals.
Eric Holder Was Beaten in the L.A. County Jail During the Murder Trial of Nipsey Hussle!
According to the information provided by Jansen, the back of the victim’s head was cut during the assault. According to Jansen, Holder was sent to the hospital, where he underwent an MRI and ultimately required staples to be placed in the back of his head.
According to the attorney’s statement to Rolling Stone magazine, Holder also suffered swelling in his face and eye.
Wednesday was supposed to be the day that testimony from witnesses would resume in the case.
“We have addressed specific procedures with the Judge Jacke which assured us of Mr. Holder, Jr.’s safety going ahead,” said Jansen. “We are looking forward to continuing our work together.”
In March of 2019, Hussle, whose true name was Ermias Asghedom, was killed by a gunshot to the head outside of the clothing store that he owned, Marathon Clothing, in the Hyde Park district of South Los Angeles. At the time, the Grammy Award–winning musician was 33 years old.
The murder set off a manhunt that lasted for forty-eight hours and ended with Holder’s capture near Bellflower.
It was alleged that he had committed one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon.
Holder has entered a not guilty plea, and if convicted on the charges against him, he may spend the rest of his life behind bars.
The prosecutor, John McKinney, stated to the jurors earlier this month during opening arguments that Holder was seen on security film standing in the parking lot and opening fire on Hussle, and that the rapper received ten gunshot wounds as a result of the attack.
Hussle has also established a name for himself in South Los Angeles as a prominent community leader and businessman.
Residents who were having trouble making ends meet were offered jobs, and he worked to promote economic development to the areas surrounding Slauson Boulevard and Crenshaw Boulevard.