Two Convicted Of Murdering Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay In 2002 – Update

Alexandra Del Rosario

27 February 2024 at 9:25 pm·2-min read

UPDATED, 6:25 PM: More than two decades after Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay was killed in a New York recording studio, two men have been convicted of murder in the case.

Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, both of New York, stood accused of killing the musician in a dispute over drug sales. Both face 20 years to life in prison after federal prosecutors decided not to pursue the death penalty.

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Turntable specialist Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, co-founded the legendary group Run-D.M.C. with rappers Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels in the early 1980s. Prosecutors said that Mizell became involved in the drug trade in the mid-’90s as the group’s popularity waned.

They allege that he had acquired 22 pounds of cocaine that Washington, Jordan and others were going to distribute in Maryland. Washington later was blocked from the deal and, prosecutors said, he hatched a plot to kill Mizell, who was shot dead in a Queens studio on October 30, 2002.

Jordan, 40, was Mizell’s godson and just 18 when the crime happened. Washington, 59, was an old friend who was bunking at the home of Mizell’s sister. Both were arrested in 2020 and had pleaded not guilty.

Read details about the case below.

PREVIOUSLY, August 17, 2020: Two New York men were arrested for the murder of Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay nearly 18 years after his death.

On Monday, the Eastern District of New York arrested and charged Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. for the musician’s, born Jason Mizell, long-unsolved slaying. The famed DJ was killed on Oct. 30, 2002 at his Queens recording studio when the two men entered bearing firearms and fired multiple shots, official documents reveal. Mizell was 37 years old.

According to the report, it was Jordan who delivered the fatal shots, shooting Mizell twice. Washington shot another individual present in the studio at the time.

The two men received charges not only for Mizell’s murder but also for additional crimes. Washington also sees several additional charges for distributing narcotics. Jordan is also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine along with seven counts of cocaine distribution.

Jam Master Jay, Joseph Simmons and Darryl McDaniels made up the famous 1980s hip hop trio known for their 1986 collaboration “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith, along with such hits as “It’s Tricky,” “King of Rock,” “My Adidas,” “You Be Illin'” and “It’s Like That.” They also had a string of platinum albums in the ’80s and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

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