Two Convicted Murder Trial Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay

Two men were convicted of the 2002 murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay. The case was solved after 18 years.

According to theguardian.com, two men have been found guilty of the alleged murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC, in a 2002 slaying. The guilty verdict for Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington was met with commotion in the Brooklyn courtroom. The charges against them included one count of alleged murder while engaged in alleged narcotics trafficking, and one count of alleged firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jason Mizell, known as Jam Master Jay.

Defense attorneys for the men argued that there was no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting. They pointed to an alleged third person charged in the case, Jay Bryant, who is set to be tried separately in 2025. Deliberations by the jury were delayed after a juror was dismissed and replaced, pushing the deliberations to Monday at 1pm.

Assistant US attorney Artie McConnell urged jurors not to let the case go on for another minute, emphasizing the 20-year wait for justice. The charges, part of a 10-count indictment, included one count of alleged conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of alleged cocaine distribution for Jordan. Both Jordan and Washington pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors claimed that the fatal shooting occurred after Mizell allegedly cut Washington and Jordan out of a lucrative cocaine distribution deal. They alleged that the men went to Mizell's recording studio in Queens, where Jordan allegedly fired two shots at Mizell at close range, killing him.

Acting US attorney Seth DuCharme stated that the defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, and the case finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents, and prosecutors who never gave up on the investigation.

Run-DMC, founded in 1983, included Mizell, Joseph "Rev Run" Simmons, and Darryl McDaniels. The group became a household name in the 1980s with hit songs like "It's Tricky." In 2009, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their influence in new school hip hop music.