Attorney Christopher Darden’s request to withdraw from the Nipsey Hussle murder trial as defendant Eric Holder’s lawyer has been granted. Holder has been assigned to public defender Mearl Lottman.

Darden is a longtime litigator and former attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. However he is most known for the O.J. case where he failed to get a conviction against the NFL superstar. Therefore he is not new to controversy  but backed out of this case citing death threats to his family as the conflict of interest on his social media pages:

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 also pointed out that for so long black men did not have access to effective counsel and is baffled why the public against him doing what is in Holder’s constitutional right.

However, Darden should understand that the public lost a champion not just for music and business but for the community and the culture and that persons are very upset that Holder refuses to plead guilty and therefore will not support anyone representing Holder. Evidence so far includes a store video capturing the fatal shooting and it appears to show Holder as the suspect. Also it at least appeared that Darden was representing Holder for publicity since he was being paid to represent Holder (versus this being a pro bono case) and that also did not sit well with the public.

Lastly, is important to note that Holder was wearing a yellow prison uniform at Friday’s hearing which typically is for the mentally ill so I would not be surprised if his new lawyers try to push for the insanity plea if he ever chooses to admit guilt.

Stay tuned…