Two men have been found guilty of the murder of DJ Jam Master Jay, a member of Run DMC, which occurred back in 2002. Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington have been convicted by the Brooklyn Department of Justice for homicide.
Jordan Jr. and Washington face up to twenty years in prison, while a third man, Jay Bryant, who apparently assisted the two in entering Jason Mizell’s (the DJ and producer’s real name) studio, will be tried in 2026.
“More than twenty years ago, these two killed Jason Mizell in his recording studio, and finally now they will face the consequences,” said lawyer Breon Peace. “You just killed two innocent people,” Washington shouted instead at the reading of the verdict.
However, the two men were not strangers to Mizell: Jordan Jr. was in fact his godson, while Washington was a childhood friend with alcoholism issues who at the time was living at Mizell’s sister’s house. The motive for the murder seems to be linked to a cocaine trafficking operation from which Washington had been excluded.
Jordan Jr. and Washington entered Mizell’s studio on the evening of October 30, 2002, with Bryant’s help, shooting the DJ fatally while he was playing video games and inflicting a non-fatal gunshot wound to Uriel “Tony” Rincon, Mizell’s friend present at the crime scene. Rincon, although recognizing Washington, did not report him out of fear. The same goes for Lydia High, an employee of Master Jay’s record label and the only other witness.
Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, the two remaining members of Run DMC, released a statement to Rolling Stone US: “We are grateful that this trial has come to an end and hope it can bring closure to Jay’s family. Jay will always have a special place in the hearts of all his friends and everyone he inspired, led, and gave an opportunity to. He was the heart and soul of Run DMC; he will be missed forever.”