After three long years and multiple delays, the murder trial for late rapper Nipsey Hussle is finally set to begin.
Jury selection began on Thursday and is expected to take two weeks, according to People. The trial itself is also forecasted to last at least two weeks as well, if not more.
The man at the center of it all is Eric Holder, an aspiring rapper who allegedly shot Hussle several times in the parking lot of his Marathon Clothing Store in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. In May 2019, Holder was indicted on one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of felony possession of a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He was formally charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree attempted murder. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
On Thursday, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney John McKinney revealed during a pretrial hearing that he intends to call roughly 15 witnesses to the stand, specifically the woman who allegedly served as Holder’s getaway driver.
In addition to that, Holder’s public defender, Aaron Jenson, also told the court that his client has a history of mental illness that was exacerbated by depression caused by an interruption of his medication stemming from the death of his mother. Jenson also clarified during the pretrial hearing that Holder’s appearance at the Marathon Clothing store was unplanned, thus proving that the killing of Hussle wasn’t a premeditated attack.
The trial is expected to go well into the month of July.