Jam Master Jay, who was born Jason Mizell and was a member of the hip hop group Run DMC, was murdered in Queens, New York, in 2002 at the age of 37. Two men, Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington, who were accused of being involved in the murder of the artist have recently been convicted of the crime. Jordan and Washington, who were both friends of Mizell, shot him in the head at his recording studio in New York after they were cut out of a drug deal reportedly worth $200,000.
The trial for Jam Master Jay’s murder started in January with the court hearing that the crime was motivated by greed and revenge related to a drug deal. An eyewitness who was present during the killing was also called upon to testify at the trial. The suspects had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge. Jordan and Washington now face a minimum of 20 years in prison for their involvement in the crime.
Jordan and Washington’s defense attorney had notably invoked Harry Potter in the closing statements of the trial. According to the defense argument, Jay Bryant was responsible for the murder as he had reportedly let Jordan and Washington into the building on the day of the attack. Prosecutors disagreed and argued that if that were the case, security monitors for the building would have shown the suspects waiting outside. The judge hearing the trial had previously ruled lyrics written by Jordan and Washington could not be used as evidence in the case.
The murder case of Jam Master Jay has finally been concluded, over two decades after the crime took place. The conviction of two of his close friends for the murder underscores the importance of solving cases no matter how long it takes. Mizell’s death was a great loss to the hip hop community, and justice has now been served by the guilty verdict returned by the court
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