Two decades after Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay was killed in a New York City recording studio, his godson and a longtime friend were convicted for the cold-case murder on Tuesday.
A federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, found Karl Jordan, 40, and Ronald Washington, 59, guilty in the fatal shooting, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a press release.
“Today’s guilty verdicts provides proof that the passage of time provides no safe harbor to those who commit murder,” John B. DeVito, special agent-in-charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), said in a statement.
Related Story: Two Men Charged in Cold Case Killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay
Both men were charged with murder while engaged in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and firearm-related murder for shooting the pioneering DJ inside his recording studio in Queens on Oct. 30, 2002.
Washington slammed the jury when the verdict was read.
“Y’all just killed two innocent people,” Washington shouted, according to the Associated Press.
Prosecutors said Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was gunned down because of a cocaine deal gone wrong.
Mizell was alleged to have been selling “kilogram-quantities of cocaine,” prosecutors said.
In August 2002, he obtained approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment from a supplier based in California, according to prosecutors. The drugs were intended to be distributed in Maryland by Washington, Jordan and other associates.
“A dispute between Washington and one of the co-conspirators in Baltimore resulted in Mizell cutting Washington and Jordan out of the Maryland drug deal worth almost $200,000,” according to prosecutors. The two then plotted to kill Mizell in retaliation, authorities said.
The hip-hop star was at his “24/7” recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, with a friend and his business manager when he was killed.
At approximately 7:30 p.m., an accomplice named Jay Bryant is accused of opening a locked fire escape exit door allowing the two suspects to enter the building.
Jordan allegedly pointed a gun at Mizell and fired two shots. One shot hit him in the head and he died instantly. The second shot struck Mizell’s friend in the leg. Mizell’s business manager tried to flee, but was stopped. The men pointed a gun at her face before escaping, prosecutors said.
The suspects later bragged to associates, with each claiming they pulled the trigger, according to prosecutors. Both men were arrested in 2020 and pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, Jordan was identified as the shooter by the person who was shot in the leg. Mizell’s business manager identified Washington as the one who pointed a firearm at her and ordered her to get down on the floor.
A man who rented a home from Jordan’s father testified that he overheard Jordan say if Mizell “were still alive he would kill him again.”
Jordan and Washington face 20 years to life in federal prison and will be sentenced later. Jordan is also charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine distribution and will be tried on those counts at a later date.
Bryant has pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately for allegedly allowing the defendants to enter through the fire escape door.
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