The Jam Master Jay murder trial has concluded in New York, and all of the defendants have been found guilty on all counts.
“Today, a federal jury in Brooklyn returned a guilty verdict against Karl Jordan, Jr., and Ronald Washington for the October 30, 2002, murder of Jason Mizell, also known as ‘Jam Master Jay,’ a member of the famed hip hop group Run-DMC,” read a statement from the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) on Tuesday (February 27), announcing the verdict. “When sentenced, Jordan and Washington face a minimum of 20 years’ imprisonment and a maximum term of life imprisonment.”
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Both Jordan and Washington will be able to challenge the verdict on appeal, but it is unclear whether they will do so.
“More than two decades after they killed Jason Mizell in his recording studio, Jordan and Washington have finally been held accountable for their cold-blooded crime driven by greed and revenge,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace, in a statement provided by the EDNY. “That the victim, professionally known as Jam Master Jay, was a hip hop icon and Run-DMC’s music was born in Hollis, Queens, in this very district, and beloved by so many, adds to the tragedy of a life senselessly cut short.”
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Check out a video of the attorneys of the Eastern District of New York giving a press conference following the verdict, below.
In 2020, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were indicted for the New York City shooting that left the 37-year-old legend dead inside a Queens recording studio.
Last year, Jay Bryant (49) became the third person to be charged in the case, though his trial will most likely take place in 2025. Like Jordan and Washington, Bryant has pleaded not guilty.
The trio are believed to have entered JMJ’s studio and fled after the fatal shooting, with Jordan firing two shots at the victim at close range, including one to the head that killed him. Prosecutors were able to prove that Bryant was seen entering the building immediately before the shooting and left behind an article of clothing at the crime scene, which contained his DNA.
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An investigation revealed that the slaying was over a drug deal gone wrong, with Jam Master Jay allegedly acquiring roughly 10 kilograms of cocaine (worth an estimated $1.7 million) from a Midwest narcotics supplier months before his death.
When the Hip Hop pioneer sought to exclude Jordan and Washington from the large, multi-state drug deal, they “murdered him in cold blood,” prosecutors said in their 2020 indictment against the two men.
