Suspect formally charged in Nipsey Hussle murder, due in court

By Dan Whitcomb LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles man pleaded innocent on Thursday to killing Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle and was ordered held on $5 million bail. Eric Ronald Holder, who was arrested earlier this week in connection with the fatal shooting, entered his pleas to murder and attempted murder charges through his attorney during a brief hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court. Holder, who was formally charged earlier in the day, appeared in court behind bars in a holding cell and spoke only to acknowledge his rights. The 29-year-old defendant was represented in the high-profile case by Chris Darden, who as a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney in the 1990s unsuccessfully prosecuted former football star O.J. Simpson for murder. Darden asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Teresa Sullivan to ban cameras from the courtroom, a request she denied. Darden declined to speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was shot multiple times on March 31 outside his Marathon Clothing store in south Los Angeles. Two other people were wounded in the gunfire. PERSONAL DISPUTE Holder was taken into custody on Tuesday in the Los Angeles suburb of Bellflower after a tipster called to report seeing the man police had named as a suspect. Investigators have said that the slaying was motivated by a personal dispute between the two men, but have declined to elaborate. Holder faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted at trial. A woman who drove Holder away from the scene has not been arrested or charged in the case. The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday that Holder was an aspiring rapper and suspected gang member who went by the nickname "Fly Mac". He has a previous conviction for carrying a loaded firearm. On Monday, a disturbance erupted at a vigil for Hussle, setting off a stampede that critically injured two people. Hussle's debut studio album, "Victory Lap," was nominated for Best Rap Album at this year's Grammy Awards and his death prompted tributes on social media. The rapper, who was of Eritrean descent and grew up in south Los Angeles, has said that he once belonged to a street gang. More recently he had parlayed his fame into a role as a community organizer and activist. Hussle wrote "having strong enemies is a blessing" in a Twitter post on the day of his death. (Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Dan Grebler and Richard Chang)