After more than two decades since the tragic death of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, in his Queens recording studio, justice has been served as two individuals have been found guilty of the murder.
Jurors at the U.S. District Court’s Eastern Division of New York in Brooklyn reached the anticipated decision on Tuesday following weeks of testimonies.
Karl Jordan, Jr., reportedly identified as Mizell’s godson, has been convicted of firing the fatal shot that claimed the life of the DJ, according to a report from the New York Times. Federal prosecutors also found Ronald Washington guilty of orchestrating the killing alongside Jordan as an act of revenge after the duo discovered they had been excluded from a drug deal. Prosecutors alleged that the pair enlisted Jay Bryant, who will face a separate trial scheduled for 2026.
Mizell, aged 37 at the time of his untimely death on October 30, 2002, was fatally shot in his studio. Numerous reports suggest that Mizell had ventured into the drug trade following the decline of Run-DMC’s success. He was shot at close range with a .40-caliber handgun by a masked gunman identified as Jordan. Another bullet struck Mizell’s friend and assistant, Uriel “Tony” Rincon, who was with Mizell playing video games during the incident.
Rincon and Lydia High, an employee of Mizell’s JMJ Records, were the sole eyewitnesses to the shooting. Both initially denied knowledge of the perpetrator, claiming intimidation by Jordan, resulting in the case remaining unsolved for over two decades.
With Mizell providing the beats, Run-DMC, a trio comprising Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, left an indelible mark on the rap scene with iconic hits like “Walk This Way,” their 1986 collaboration with Aerosmith, as well as “Rock Box,” “It’s Tricky,” and “King of Rock.”
Jordan and Washington each face a minimum of 20 years in prison, with their official sentencing to be determined at a later date.
