Trial Opens for Murder of , Jam Master Jay , After Over Twenty Years.
On January 29, opening statements were scheduled
for a trial involving two men accused of murdering
Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay in 2002.
The trial comes over 20 years after the DJ
was shot in his New York City recording studio. .
Both Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington,
who prosecutors claim shot and killed Jay in
a botched drug deal, have pleaded not guilty.
The death of Jay, birth name Jason Mizell,
went unsolved until the two men
were arrested in 2020. .
Despite Run-DMC's anti-drug stance expressed in their
lyrics and PSAs, prosecutors allege that Jay had been
involved with cocaine trafficking since the mid-1990s.
Despite Run-DMC's anti-drug stance expressed in their
lyrics and PSAs, prosecutors allege that Jay had been
involved with cocaine trafficking since the mid-1990s.
Prosecutors claim that Jay had acquired 22 pounds
of cocaine, which was intended to be distributed
in Maryland by Washington, Jordan and others.
Following a dispute, prosecutors say that Jay
cut Washington out of the scheme, prompting
an armed confrontation on October 30, 2002.
Fox News reports that witnesses to the crime
had remained tight-lipped despite over
$60,000 in rewards offered for information,
frustrating efforts to solve the case.
Fox News reports that witnesses to the crime
had remained tight-lipped despite over
$60,000 in rewards offered for information,
frustrating efforts to solve the case.
According to prosecutors,
witnesses have now come forth after twenty years to identify both Washington and Jordan
as the assailants. .
Both men reportedly face a minimum
of 20 years in prison if found guilty.
Last year, a third man was charged
in connection with the shooting and
will be tried in a separate trial