Two men were convicted on Tuesday for the murder of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay in 2002 at his rap studio. Defendants Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington have been found guilty of the murder by a Brooklyn federal jury.
Jam Master Jay, originally Jason Mizell, is known for hits like It’s Tricky, It’s Like That, and the Aerosmith collaboration Walk This Way, which contributed to hip-hop’s growth and emergence in the pop music industry during the 1980s. The rapper later started his own record label and ran a studio in his old Queens area, where he mentored young stars and polished their talent, like rapper 50 Cent.
Mizell was shot in his studio on October 30, 2002, with witnesses present near the site. Similar to the murder of other rap legends like Tupac Shakur in the 1990s, the case remained open for several years, and no verdict was given until now. It has taken more than two decades to bring Jam Master Jay to justice. Fans of the rap icon and music industry have been waiting for the decision for many years. Authorities were adamant about rumors and theories, but it was difficult to get the witnesses to speak.
Ronald Washington, 59, was a childhood friend of Jam Master Jay, and Karl Jordan Jr., 49, was Jay’s godson. Both of them had pleaded not guilty to all charges after being arrested in 2020.
Assistant US Attorney Artie McConnel urged the jury to provide justice while giving his closing argument. He stated,
Twenty years is a long time to wait for justice. Don’t let this go on for another minute.
After the guilty verdict, Ronald Washington yelled at the jury and said, “Y’all just killed two innocent people.” Karl Jordan’s supporters also cursed the jury and created chaos. Jordan and Washington now face 20 years of life in prison.
Prosecutors mentioned that Washington and Jordan turned on Jam Master Jay over a narcotics trafficking deal. Moreover, Washington was publicly announced as a suspect for the murder in 2007. However, in 2003, he told Playboy magazine that he was not inside the studio and only heard the gunshots.
