Jury selection in the Jam Master Jay murder trial began on Monday (Jan 22), as two men accused of participating in the iconic DJ’s death await their day in court.
Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington are charged in the October 2002 slaying of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, in the Run D.M.C. member’s recording studio in Queens. Jordan Jr. and Washington were arrested and charged in connection to Jam Master Jay’s murder in 2020, with Jordan Jr. alleged to have fired the shots that took the Jam Master Jay’s life.
According to authorities, the murder stemmed from an alleged drug deal involving Jam Master Jay, Washington, Jordan Jr. and others gone awry, as the DJ is said to have notified Washington that he would no longer be taking part in a proposed cocaine distribution network.
Incensed by Jam Master Jay’s decision, Washington, Jordan Jr., and a third man, Jay Bryant, allegedly entered the Hip-Hop legend’s studio on Oct 30, 2002, with Jordan Jr. allegedly firing two shots at close range, with one bullet striking the DJ in the head and the other wounding another individual in the leg.
“The defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, a brazen act that has finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents and prosecutors who never gave up on this case,” stated Acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme at the time of the suspects’ arrests.
In 2021, it was announced that the defendants will not face the death penalty if convicted for the murder of Jam Master Jay, with the prosecution seeking a sentence of life imprisonment if Jordan Jr. and Washington are found guilty. Bryant was charged in the murder in 2023 after DNA evidence linked him to the scene of the crime.
Jay Bryant, who is alleged to have already admitted to his role in the murder, will be tried in a separate trial from Jordan Jr. and Washington. Opening statements in Jordan and Washington’s trial are scheduled to begin on Jan. 29.
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