Chris Darden, the former prosecuting attorney in OJ Simpson’s 1995 murder trial, and target of Meek Mill’s “house nigga” slur, has announced that he will formally withdraw from the case and no longer represent Eric Holder, the 29-year-old man accused in the shooting death of famed Slauson-bred rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Darden took to Facebook early on Friday, (May 10) to partially explain his rationale behind withdrawing from the case in a lengthy post saying, “You guys have been awfully good to me and my family. Thank you. I am on my way to appear for the last time in People v. Holder. I filed a Motion to Withdraw from the case.”
“As for my reasons for withdrawing I don’t know whether I will disclose them later or not. I only know that as a lawyer it is my duty to protect the rights of my clients even in the face of threats or angry mobs. This is the silent solemn oath we took as defense counsel. This is the legacy made for me and all of us who practice as defense counsel in the criminal courts. But allow me to say this; After centuries of a history of black men hung from trees without trial, or after the thousands of cases of black men tried, convicted and executed without counsel; after Gideon v. Wainwright & Powell v. Alabama, I cannot understand why in 2019 some people would deny a black man his 6th Amendment right to counsel of his choice. Or why defending such a man should invite threats not only against me but against my children too,” Darden wrote in part.
The threats invited on his children, that Darden mentions in the post, were captured by his eldest daughter, Jeneé Darden, last month in an Instagram post.
“I’ve been receiving vile comments and messages since the news broke that my father, Chris Darden, is the defense attorney for the man accused of killing Nipsey Hussle,” Jeneé started the post.
“I was not prepared for this backlash that has triggered back memories from the O.J. Simpson trial. My father is a grown man and has been a defense attorney for some time. I have no say in the cases he takes on,” she continues.
Darden alludes to the apparent death threats as a major tipping factor in his decision to drop the case in the post.
“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. And some folks think that’s funny. It isn’t and I won’t ever forget it. To those who issued those threats to my children please pay close attention so there is no misunderstanding. Later. FUCK YOU! As for me, I continue to thrive. I continue to be loved. I continue to walk with kings. And I will continue my pursuit of fairness and justice on behalf of my clients and others charged with crimes,” Darden continues.
The attorney also spoke to the Los Angeles Times on Friday, (May 10) and told them the reason he took on Holder’s case is because he defends the less fortunate.
“I defend poor people — that’s all I do. And he’s definitely poor,” Darden says.
Holder is accused in the shooting death of Hussle outside of his Marathon Clothing store on March 31. Since his death, Hussle’s Marathon Clothing store has experienced a $10 million dollar spike in sales.
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on April 5, 2019.]
Multiple reports confirmed Nipsey Hussle’s alleged killer, Eric Holder, pled not guilty to a slew of charges including murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon on Thursday, (April 4).
However, it would appear the news the 29-year-old Los Angeles resident retained O.J. Simpson prosecuting attorney Chris Darden is what really pissed Meek Mill off — enough to call Darden a “house nigga.”
The Dreamchasers head honcho got on Twitter to literally to chastise the attorney and equate him with the trend of “self-hate,” in the black community.
“As self-hate continues in the black community #housenigga,” Meek tweeted along with a screenshot of the attorney with Holder in the background.
Even before the news of Darden picking up the case the Championships rapper was adamant of the role that self-hate played in the tragic murder of Nipsey.
“Self hate the #1 killer of young black Kings!,” he captioned a photo on Instagram toasting during happier times.
Nipsey and Meek had immensely close ties and were reportedly planning on releasing a joint album according to an interview the Victory Lap rapper did with Real 92.3 in March. The slain rap star commented on Meek’s progression in the interview and praised the rapper saying he felt like he had “elevated.”
“You be in the game for a while and you learn this shit and you figure out what works for you,” said Hussle. “I just think Meek’s elevated. He applied the game he got from being in the game for a while.”
Revisit the interview in its entirety below.
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Attention seeking mfer… bro is not even getting paid anything besides publicity. But to jump at the chance to defend this POS that is on camera committing this crime, doubling and tripling back to finish nip off… hope he is ready to ride the titanic to the ocean floor where Eric Holders body belongs
I concur. I want holder dead ASAP
Haha stop it you two clowns. Lawyers gotta eat too, they don’t care about black on black violence. You guys wouldn’t realize how lawyers get paid cause your use to getting paid by warehouses Lmaoo broke ass bums
What an ignorant fuck Meek is, he’s exactly the sort of human holding us back. So what is this lawyer only supposed to defend people who Meek seems worthy of representation? What a dick head.
Where us refers to you and who? Idiot
Obvious he’s talking about black people. Don’t try to be a smart ass.
Where us refers to the human species you fucking simpleton.
I wonder what the defense will be? That video is bad. He showed premeditation every time he walked back to fire another shot and kick Nipsey in the head. I don’t know what the defense will be? Probably just to get the death penalty off the table. I hope he gets the death penalty, my hated for shitty cuz is unending
Cali doesn’t have the death penalty anymore.
Oh word? Wasn’t sure, I’m 34 and for most of my life Cali dead so I was hoping they still had it for this piece of shit. I remember pac and big and I’m from bk but I was like 11-12 so while I understood it I wasn’t as impacted. I watched the video of the shooting and it just brought tears to my eyes. We love you in NY Nip, RIP
Did Pac Man die also??
Stfu you idiot. How many killers has Nicky Tarantino influenced ? You are dumb. This is why they say it’s bigger than rap but your mind too little to understand.
Quentin Tarantino
Lmaoo bigger than rap? No one paying attention to these clowns bruh. Next week it’ll be back to the regular killings lol no one cares
Lawyers are clout chasers too.
Lol! Feelings hurt much? You’re right. Celebrity attorney’s dont take bullshit cases for the look. Gloria Alred, Michael Avenatti and the rest have an impeccable moral compass. FOH with all the tough talk.
Yeah man that video is disgusting and I regret watching it I felt disrespectful to see. I hope he suffers for the rest of life in solitary. Life in the box is the next best thing with no death penalty
Meek needs to stop. He should still be in jail. If he was a regular guy (black or white) he wouldn’t have been released nor does he deserve to be free. Now according to him black lawyers are not allowed to represent black people who are presumed guilty. What a clown
How many of Meeks homies caught a body? Did he speak out against their lawyers?
You are 100% certain it is him? Let them deal with it in court. And Meek is just a criminal who constantly violated probation because he’s an idiot, and now he wants the rules to change. I know he paid a long time for a stupid crime, but he was released with conditions and he continually violated those conditions. Being a moron doesn’t make you real, same with having Jay Z be your daddy and help you out. And on top of this stupidity of his, he’s also super trash and sounds deaf when he raps so there’s not much to like about him.
Meeks comment is very much what a lot of people are saying in the streets. The rap sheet of Meek or the people that he runs with is irrelevant. It’s a slap in the face to see a high profile attorney want to be involved in this case. This puto doesn’t deserve such representation. He is a cold hearted self hating heathen and don’t nobody want to see him with an attorney….periodT!
Everybody has the right to a fair trial. Whether you like it or not. It’s a dangerous game society is playing when they label everyone over anything without taking into account how it would affect them if they were on the other side. And nobody should be angry, this dude is likely going to lose and in the process another black man is getting paid. If buddy screwed up the OJ case, this Holder fellow has no chance of winning so black people should rejoice.
That killed my heart right off you have gunned him down like a dog then kick him how fucking disgusting of a human he his the death penalty too easy
If Meeks “young bulls” in Philly catch a body hes gonna be shouting to free them. Is it still self hate if when they hire a black lawyer to represent them or nah? You would think someone who has been through the criminal justice system would show more intelligence than this.
Meek has his opinion. So what? Beyond just being another guy with an opinion it means nothing. Moving along…
His killer deserves nothing less than life in prison. But you can’t have a go at his lawyer. That’s just plain stupid and ignorant. Every killer black or white as has representation . That’s how the legal system works like it or not.
Uncle Tom shot on the spot, we don’t need ya.
its funny how black ppl call others uncle toms and say they should die and think those black folks are the problem with your communityLMAO
Dear Janie, people like you are a part of the problem. You jump right in putting folks down. Before we invest monetarily, we have to invest in the mind/mindset/mental space of our people. Tearing them down because of the use of a negative word that some deem negative and others do not does not make them a house n***a. Your delivery in the message on the other hand sounds more like one.
If he was representing one of Meek’s family members or friends would he still call it self hate??
We heard you the first time stupid
Is it just me or does it really hurt to watch these Nipsey interviews?
The irony, this justice system/prison system activist is upset that a black guy is getting world class representation for his upcoming trial.
What a clown. Meek once committed a crime and got an attorney. Dude can’t get his attorney? Plus, alot of white have blacks as their boss and a lot blacks have white as their boss.
Self proclaimed crip gets shot*
Suddenly I should care.
Suddenly you’re here, aren’t ya?
So Meek Mill can rap about murdering Black people and drug distribution in his rap lyrics…..but that’s not considered “self hate”?
So Meek Mill can rap about murdering Black people and drug distribution in Black communities in his rap lyrics…..but that’s not considered “self hate”? Shut the fuck up Meek Mill.
so what
I wonder why!
meek mill is bitch made
He was called an uncle Tom for trying to prosecute a murderer, now he’s being called one for defending an alleged murderer. Black people need to culturally grow out of the identity politics. There was a time in America when it was beneficial and necessary for them to see things through the lens of race, but that time has passed and it is now inhibiting their growth in American society.
Believe me …the lawyer ain’t the problem here. The hypocrisy .
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walk with kings, young black kings… oh, come off it.
Shut the fxck up, saltine.
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Roger Rabbit go find Jessica Rabbit
Everybody want to speak on black people what’s ur race so i can check u on yours