Chris Darden, the lawyer who was supposed to defend the alleged killer of Nipsey Hussle, filed a motion to withdraw defense.
What We Know:
- Darden is best known for being a prosecutor during the O.J. Simpson double murder trial in 1995. He was supposed to represent Eric Holder, Hussle’s presumed murderer. Holder allegedly gunned down Hussle on March 31.
- Holder was charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He has not plead guilty, but if he is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
- In a Facebook post, the Los Angeles lawyer revealed his decision to withdraw from the case.
- Darden cited that he and his family have been receiving death threats since it was made public that he would represent Holder. He did not offer an explicit reason for his withdrawal from the high-profile murder case, but it seems to be related to personal reasons.
- Likening the threats to the scrutiny he faced in 1995, Darden expressed his displeasure with people threatening his family. “Just as they were in 1995-Cowards never change. These days these cowards don’t send letters instead they sit anonymously behind keyboards threatening a man’s mother and children,” Darden said in the post. He made it clear that despite how people feel about Holder, he deserves defense in court under the Constitution.
A judge granted the request from Darden and assigned Mearl Lottman, a public defender, to the case. However, it is unclear if Lottman will continue representing Holder, according to the Los Angeles Times.
