Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay will finally go on trial Monday for his long-unsolved murder in Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors plan to present evidence suggesting Karl Jordan Jr., Jam Master Jay’s godson and Ronald Washington, his childhood friend may have killed him as part of their payback for an unsuccessful drug deal.
Prosecutors
Prosecutors allege that Jordan and Washington killed Jay after he cut them out of a 10 kilogram (22-pound) cocaine deal, in his studio. They have both pleaded not guilty.
Even after offering a reward of $60,000 for information, no witnesses came forward and the case went cold, angering investigators and Washington’s family alike. His defense has used alibi witnesses and DNA hits identifying another suspect as evidence against Washington, while Washington himself admitted in a Playboy magazine article that he was at the studio the night of the murder but did not shoot anyone.
Born Jason Mizell, Run-DMC was formed by Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Darryl McDaniels of Queens during the early 1980s. Credited with mainstreaming hip hop into popular culture through hit singles such as It’s Tricky, they were eventually honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Jam Master Jay’s murder in his Queens studio remains unsolved today as one of three high-profile rap star killings that remain unanswered.
Defense
Jordan, godson of Run-DMC founder Darryl McDaniels, and Washington, his childhood friend, are accused of shooting Jay dead in his Queens studio where he was preparing to perform with his group in 2002 because they believed they had been cut out of a cocaine deal.
He was an iconic DJ who helped transform hip-hop into an international phenomenon and was widely revered for his anti-drug advocacy work. Additionally, he was an admired husband and father.
The defense contends that prosecutors took too long to indict Jordan and Washington, leading to key evidence, including cell phone records being destroyed or lost, becoming unavailable and the prosecution having an unfair perspective of what transpired. They have asked that this case be dismissed altogether and await ruling after prosecution files their opposition to this motion by a judge. A third suspect named Jay Bryant was charged last May but will face his own separate trial where he has pled not guilty; that trial could last up to three weeks.
Karl Jordan Jr.
Jam Master Jay’s murder in 2002 remains one of the genre’s infamous cold cases to this day despite numerous witnesses being present at the studio at the time of shooting and cash rewards being offered by police as incentives to generate leads.
Prosecutors ultimately charged Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. with murder and drug trafficking charges in this case; at their arraignments they both pled not guilty and remain on probation.
At their arraignment, prosecutors detailed how Washington and Jordan became involved with cocaine distribution during the 1990s, eventually amassing 10 kilograms (22 pounds) to distribute in Maryland before Jay was murdered. Washington then got into a disagreement with another party involved and cut Jay out, prompting them to return armed to Jay’s Queens neighborhood recording studio where they shot him dead despite protestations by both Jay’s family as well as bandmate Darryl McDaniels that Jay wasn’t involved with drugs. Eventually the case collapsed due to lack of prosecution from Washington as well as McDaniels who continued insistance that Jay wasn’t involved with drugs despite them both trying to prove his innocence during this ordeal.
Ronald Washington
Even with generous rewards and tips being offered to solve it, the 2002 murder of Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay from Run DMC remains one of hip-hop’s most notorious cold cases. One of three rap artists killed during that year, his death caused shockwaves among his many fans.
Prosecutors allege that Washington and Jordan, longtime baseball managers who served 16 seasons as major league coaches between 1996 and 2016, knew the victim well and shot him as payback for an unsuccessful drug deal. Their trial in Brooklyn kicked off Monday.
Federal prosecutors allege that two men became incensed with Mizell when he cut them out of a plan to distribute 10 kilograms of cocaine in Maryland, so they went armed to his 24/7 recording studio in Jamaica, Queens on Oct 30 2002 – firing on him and another person before fleeing, according to federal authorities.
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