Jam Master Jay’s Murder Trial Begins In Brooklyn, Over Two Decades After His Death
Written by laserteam on January 29, 2024
(Yahoo) – Karl Jordan, Jr. and Ronald Washington, the two men who were charged in 2020 with Jam Master Jay’s unsolved 2002 murder, are finally standing trial in a Brooklyn federal courthouse.
Jordan and Washington allegedly killed Run DMC’s DJ as payback after they say Jay reneged on a drug deal. If convicted, they both face life in prison, but will not face the death penalty. Jury selection took place last week and U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall, will preside over the case.
Born Jason Mizell, Jay’s chilling murder was one of Hip-Hop’s most notorious cold cases. Despite the amount of witnesses and leads over the years, no charges were formally filed until August of 2020.
According to prosecutors, Jordan and Washington broke into Jay’s Queens studio on the night of Oct. 30, 2002. Jordan reportedly fired two shots, one of which struck Jay in the head at close range—killing him almost instantly as Washington held up a gun at witnesses in the studio.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement at the time, “The defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, a brazen act that has finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents and prosecutors who never gave up on this case. The charges announced today begin to provide a measure of justice to the family and friends of the victim, and make clear that the rule of law will be upheld, whether that takes days, months, or decades.”
A third man named Jay Bryant, who was also allegedly involved in the murder, will have a separate trial later this year. He was charged in May of 2023 and has plead not guilty.
Jordan and Washington have previously argued that prosecutors took too long to charge them. Jordan claimed that evidence that could support his alibi was no longer available, but a judge refuted his argument and considered it to be “speculative.”
