Two men have been charged in the murder of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, who was fatally shot in a Queens recording studio in 2002. The two suspects, Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr., were long considered suspects in the murder of Jay, real name Jason Mizell.
According to The New York Times, the two men were charged with murder while engaged in drug trafficking. Jordan will be arraigned on Monday, meanwhile Washington is currently incarcerated in federal prison on a robbery charge and will be arraigned later this week.
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Mizell was murdered on October 30th, 2002 while in his studio in Jamaica, Queens. Since then, the case went unsolved as numerous theories floated around in the public. In 2016, the case was revived by a cold case unit and, according to an indictment unsealed on Monday, has since seen two cooperating witnesses come forward.
In the indictment, obtained by the Times, prosecutors allege that Mizell was involved in drug trafficking. Jordan and Washington, the latter of whom had been sleeping on Mizell’s couch in the days before his death, were apparently part of a deal involving 10 kilograms of cocaine with Mizell, who threatened to cut them out following a dispute. While both men have been charged with murder, the filing states that Jordan was the one who fired the fatal shot into Mizell’s head, killing him almost instantly.
“This is a case about a murder that for nearly two decades has gone unanswered,” he said. “Today we begin to answer that question of who killed Jason Mizell and why.”
As Run-DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels told SPIN,
Although this latest news opens up a lot of painful memories for all of us who knew and loved Jam Master Jay, I’m relieved to hear that 2 suspects have been arrested and charged with his murder. It’s been a difficult 18 years not having him around while knowing that his murderers were not yet indicted for this heinous crime. I commend NYPD, NYC Detectives, Federal Agents and all the law enforcement who were involved in this case, for not giving up and working to bring justice for Jay. I realize this is a first step in the judicial process, but I hope Jay can finally Rest in Peace. My love to Jay’s wife Terri, his sons, his family, his friends, and all of his fans. #JMJForever
[H/T The New York Times]