Opening statements were made on the first day of Nipsey Hussle’s murder trial with Deputy District Attorney John McKinney describing the differences between Nipsey and his accused murderer, Eric Holder. 

McKinney told the court, “The defendant in this case was also an aspiring rapper – not nearly as successful, not nearly as respected and the two didn’t really have a lot in common. They were two men whose arcs in life were bending in two different directions. The one thing they did have in common was their roots.” 

McKinney added that there’s “no doubt” that Holder planned to kill Nipsey, and he went on to address a conversation Nipsey had with Holder about rumors he heard about Eric being a snitch. Nipsey’s close friend Herman “Cowboy” Douglas was called to speak about overhearing the conversation between the two men, and he explained that he never heard Nipsey use the word “snitch” when speaking to Holder.