Entertainment

Rapper Nipsey Hussle’s killer sentenced to at least 60 years in prison

Published

3 years ago

February 23, 2023

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A Los Angeles judge has sentenced the killer of rapper Nipsey Hussle to at least 60 years in prison.

Eric R Holder Jr, 33, had been found guilty of the 2019 murder of the Grammy-nominated hip hop artist.

The rapper, also 33, was shot outside the clothes shop he founded in the south Los Angeles area that both men grew up in.

Superior Court Judge H Clay Jacke II handed down a sentence of 60 years to life on Wednesday after the month-long trial. Holder was not eligible for the death penalty.

The jury also found Holder guilty of two counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter and two counts of assault with a firearm for gunfire that hit two other men at the scene who survived.

Judge Jacke sentenced Holder to 25 years to life for the murder, 25 more for a firearm sentencing enhancement and 10 for assault with a firearm.

Jurors returned with the first-degree murder verdict after around six hours of deliberations.

The evidence against Holder was overwhelming with eyewitnesses and surveillance cameras from local businesses showing his arrival, the shooting and his departure.

Holders’s attorney also conceded during trial that he had shot Hussle.

Both Hussle, whose legal name is Ermias Asghedom, and Holder were rappers that had known each other for years growing up as members of the Rollin’ 60s in South LA.

But Holder did not experience the same success as Hussle, who would go on to find fame and critical acclaim in the music industry.

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Actor Lauren London, who was Hussle’s partner, did not attend any part of the trial, nor did any of his relatives. None are expected to give victim impact statements.

A close friend of Hussle, Herman “Cowboy” Douglas, who was standing with him when he was killed told the court that his murder was a tremendous loss both for him personally and for the South Los Angeles community where the rapper was a business leader and an inspiration.

“Nipsey was my friend, he was like a son, he was like a dad,” Douglas said. “Our community right now, we lost everything, everything we worked for. One man’s mistake, one man’s action, messed up a whole community.”

Douglas added: “I don’t care what you give this guy. It ain’t about the time. I just want to know why. The world wants to know why. Why someone would do that?”

Holder’s attorney Aaron Jansen said he was “deeply disappointed” in the verdict, which he planned to appeal.

Entertainment

Paul Gallagher, older brother of Oasis stars Liam and Noel, appears in court charged with rape

Published

1 hour ago

August 27, 2025

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Paul Gallagher, older brother of Oasis stars Liam and Noel, appears in court charged with rape

Paul Gallagher, the older brother of Oasis stars Noel and Liam, has appeared in court charged with rape, sexual assault and other offences.

Gallagher, of East Finchley, north London, is accused of rape, coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The alleged offences are claimed to have taken place between 2022 and 2024, the charge sheet showed.

During a five-minute hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, Gallagher spoke to confirm his name, age and address, but entered no pleas.

He has been bailed for a further appearance at Harrow Crown Court on 24 September.

Gallagher, who is a year older than Noel and seven years older than Liam, has never been involved in Oasis.

Entertainment

Strictly Come Dancing star arrested on suspicion of rape

Published

19 hours ago

August 26, 2025

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Strictly Come Dancing star arrested on suspicion of rape

A Strictly Come Dancing star has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

The unnamed man, who is in his 30s, was also detained over a separate allegation of “non-consensual intimate image abuse”.

The Met Police said an arrest was made in east London on Friday in a joint investigation with Hertfordshire Constabulary, following a “third-party allegation of sexual and drug-related offences”.

It is understood the arrest is not related to the upcoming production of Strictly Come Dancing – the 23rd series, which is in the rehearsal stage and is due to launch in September.

“On Friday 22 August, officers arrested a man in his 30s in east London on suspicion of rape and non-consensual intimate image abuse,” a spokesperson for the Met said in a statement.

The investigation is in its early stages and inquiries are ongoing, the spokesperson added.

The man was released on bail on Saturday until a date in November, the force said, according to BBC News.

Hertfordshire Constabulary did not add anything further.

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.”

Earlier this month, it was reported the broadcaster had called in lawyers to investigate following claims two of its stars had used cocaine.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift announces engagement to boyfriend Travis Kelce

Published

20 hours ago

August 26, 2025

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Taylor Swift announces engagement to boyfriend Travis Kelce

Taylor Swift has announced she is getting married to her NFL star boyfriend Travis Kelce.

The pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end shared the news in a joint post on Instagram, with the caption: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

The announcement was liked more than 1.7 million times just over 30 minutes after it was posted.

Swift and Kelce started their relationship in July 2023, after the three-time Super Bowl winner said on his podcast New Heights that he tried and failed to meet the singer at her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City.

Rumours grew that the couple were dating after Swift was spotted at a number of Chiefs games. On her seventh time in the stands, she brought her father, Scott Kingsley Swift, along.

Kelce told the Wall Street Journal in November 2023: “There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: ‘Yo! Did you know he was coming [to the Eras Tour]?’

“I had somebody playing Cupid… She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out.”

Earlier this month, Swift appeared on Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, and announced her 12th album, titled The Life Of A Showgirl.

Speaking to her now-fiance and his brother Jason Kelce, Swift said it was inspired by the Eras Tour – and also talked about Travis’s attempt at meeting her two years ago.

While she said his plan to give her his number on a friendship bracelet was a “wild, romantic gesture,” she joked he “didn’t do any proper logistical planning” and thought he would be allowed backstage.

“Because he knows the elevator lady, he thought he could talk to her about just getting down to my dressing room,” she added. “That’s how it works in 1973.”

The new album, which will be released on 3 October, marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital.

Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.

Despite rumours he would retire after losing this year’s Super Bowl, Kelce will play for the Kansas City Chiefs again this season.

He told GQ magazine his on-field performances “slipped a little bit” as he started acting, and added: “I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.”