2 men found guilty in 2002 murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay
Two men from Queens have been found guilty on all counts in the Oct. 30, 2002, murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC.
Karl Jordan Jr., also known as "Little D" and "Noid," and Ronald Washington, also known as "Tinard," were each found guilty of one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell.
As part of the 10-count indictment, Jordan was also charged in August 2020 with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty.
Following the verdict, the defendants signaled their intent to appeal their convictions but federal prosecutors expressed confidence in the jury's verdict finding the two men guilty of murder in "cold blood."
"The violent loss of Mr. Mizell traumatized his family and devastated legions of Run-DMC fans around the world," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace, whose office prosecuted this case, said in a statement following the verdict. "Today's verdict cannot bring Mr. Mizell back but my sincere hope is that it brings some solace and closure to his family, his friends and all those who loved and appreciated him."
Peace told reporters following the verdict on Tuesday that witnesses coming forward to testify more than 20 years later is what made the convictions possible.
“It's no mystery why it took years to indict and arrest the defendants. The witnesses in the recording studio knew the killers, and they were terrified that they would be retaliated against if they cooperated with law enforcement and identified the ruthless executioners of Mr. Mizell," Peace said, "but their strength and resolve in testifying at this trial were a triumph of right over wrong and courage over fear. We cannot and should not accept the victimization and killing of members of our communities.”
ABC News reached out to the attorneys representing Jordan and Washington following the verdict, but requests were not immediately returned.
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement following the verdict that a "cold case is never a forgotten case."
"In the decades since Mr. Mizell was brutally murdered, the greatest detectives in the world followed every lead until arrests could be made, and a solid case could be brought to our partners in the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Mizell's loved ones -- who long-expected and deserved justice to be delivered -- were patient, too, and we hope the jury's decisions today advance a small measure of closure," Caban added.
The defense attorneys for Jordan and Washington said during closing arguments on Wednesday that there was no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting, according to New York ABC station WABC. The attorneys pointed the finger at a third man who was charged in the fatal shooting, per WABC, who is expected to face trial in 2025.
Each defendant is facing a minimum of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors claimed during the trial, which began on Jan. 29, that Mizell was murdered by Jordan and Washington, who was Mizell's childhood friend, because the famed DJ was allegedly going to cut them out of a cocaine distribution deal -- approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine acquired from a narcotics supplier in the Midwest.
The two defendants were going to be cut out of the lucrative deal because a drug dealer, later identified as Ralph Mullgrav, declined to work with Washington, according to The Associated Press.
Mullgrav, who testified during the trial, claimed that Mizell "wasn't a drug dealer," but had dabbled in drug sales "to make ends meet" -- a claim that the DJ's family disputes, according to the AP.
Prosecutors alleged an armed Washington and Jordan entered Mizell's recording studio, 24/7 Studio, on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, at around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2002.
Once in the studio, Washington pointed his firearm at an individual and demanded that they lie on the floor, while Jordan fired two shots at Mizell at close range, with the fatal shot striking him in the head and another hitting him in the leg, prosecutors said in a statement announcing the indictment.
"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," acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement, announcing the charges.
Mizell rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the pioneering hip-hop trio Run DMC, which was founded in 1983 with Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons and Darryl McDaniels. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and received rap's first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Reflecting on Mizell's legacy as Jam Master Jay, Peace said that the trailblazing hip-hop star's "life was cut short as a result of greed and revenge, but today, today is justice for Mr. Mizell and his family.”
