Two men convicted for murdering Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay
22 years on from the death of Run-DMC‘s Jam Master Jay, two men have been convicted for his murder.
Jay, full name Jason Mizell, had been shot in 2002 during a studio session, but the whereabouts of his assassins have been a mystery for over two decades. Now, a jury in New York City has found both Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington guilty of killing Mizell.
On the night of the murder, Mizell had been working in the studio on several tracks, having started his own label and also working on fostering up-and-coming talent like 50 Cent. In the midst of recording, shots rang out in the studio, leaving Jay dead on the studio floor and the suspects unknown.
While Washington had been named as a suspect as far back as 2003, he had always denied any involvement in the murder, claiming that he was outside when shots rang out. Jordan Jr had also been connected to the murders for many years. He was also Mizell’s godson and worked under the nickname ‘Little D’.
The prosecution argued that Mizell had turned towards dealing drugs to make ends meet and the convicted duo had gone to the studio on October 30th, 2002, to exact revenge on him for not giving them a share of the money from a lucrative deal worth close to $200,000. Eyewitnesses say that Jordan at first greeted Mizell welcomingly before shots were fired, fatally wounding the DJ.
After Mizell collapsed onto the floor, studio aide Uriel Rincon testified that Washington sat at the entrance of the studio door brandishing a firearm. Both men had had personal connections with Mizell as well, Jordan being his godson and Washington sleeping over his sister’s house the night of the attack.
Neither of the accused took to the stand, instead talking through lawyers, whom are arguing that the eyewitnesses have changed their story from their previous testimony.
Jay Bryant will face a separate trial regarding Mizell’s murder in 2026.
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