12:32 PM PT -- Darden just joined us on "TMZ Live" where he further explained his reason to back off of the case. He also said that while he's got a lot of haters ... his supporters really show out to help him as well. Darden hopes the same attention that people put into intimidating him off of the case will be used to stop violence in the streets.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer is going to need a new lawyer -- Christopher Darden is quitting the case ... and it sounds like a wave of death threats to him and his family were just too much.

Darden says he's filed a motion to withdraw as Eric Holder's defense attorney. Holder happens to have a hearing scheduled for Friday in L.A. Superior Court, and Darden says it's the last time he will appear in court on the case.

Darden, who famously prosecuted O.J. Simpson in his double murder trial, says he's received death threats since taking Holder's case -- and the flood of hatred reminded him of the O.J. case. As he put it, "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 hinted he might reveal more in the future about exactly why he's bailing on Holder -- aka "Shitty Cuz" -- but made it clear to his haters that he won't forget ... "To those who issued those threats to my children please pay close attention so there is no misunderstanding. Later. F**K YOU!"

Truth is, Darden's been mercilessly berated ever since agreeing to defend the man accused of killing someone as beloved as Nipsey. One threatening tweet said, "Remember it was written in the book of life that the children shalt suffer from what the parents do."

But, Darden wants to make the point that under the Constitution, EVERYONE deserves a defense in court. He says, "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 ... I cannot understand why in 2019 some people would deny a black man his 6th Amendment right to counsel of his choice."