After more than 21 years since the killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, the two men charged in connection with the 2002 murder, began trial on Monday, January 29, in a Brooklyn federal courthouse. Accused of seeking revenge after a failed cocaine deal, the prosecution contends that the duo could face life imprisonment if found guilty. The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall, is anticipated to extend over a month.
Run-DMC, comprised of Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering acts in hip-hop history. Their 1985 release, “King of Rock,” marked hip-hop’s first platinum album, and their 1986 cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” climbed to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The 2002 killing of Jay had long remained a cold case in hip-hop, alongside the unsolved murders of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Despite witnesses being present during the murder and numerous leads generated by the police, no charges were filed until August 2020 when prosecutors revealed the case against Washington and Jordan.
According to charging documents and prosecutor statements, on the night of October 30, 2002, Washington and Jordan allegedly broke into Jay’s studio. Washington reportedly pointed a gun at someone in the studio, and as this happened, Jordan purportedly fired two shots, one of which fatally struck Jay in the head at close range.
Prosecutors argue that the motive behind the killing was a soured drug deal. Allegedly, Jay had arranged to purchase 10 kilograms of cocaine, intended for distribution in Maryland by Washington, Jordan, and others. When Jay backed out of the deal, prosecutors assert, the two decided to resort to violence.
In August 2020, when charges were filed, prosecutors asserted that the “cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell” had finally caught up with the defendants. Jay Bryant, a third individual charged with murder in connection to the killing of Jam Master Jay, will face a separate trial later this year.
Leading up to the trial, Jordan and Washington contended that prosecutors had delayed too long in charging them, hindering their ability to mount a proper defense. Despite these claims, a federal judge in September 2022 rejected the arguments, deeming them “speculative” and unsupported by evidence, asserting that the court had no insight into how Jordan’s allegations could contradict the government’s evidence.