The murder of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay has remained a mystery for almost 18 years, with few witnesses and no motive to explain the shooting death of the acclaimed musician inside his Queens studio in 2002. NBC New York’s Ida Siegal reports.
Jury selection gets underway Monday afternoon in Brooklyn Federal Court more than two decades after the killing of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay in his Queens studio.
A court spokesperson confirmed the start of the trial against two of his alleged killers, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington. The jury selection on Monday comes just one day after what would have been the 59th birthday of Jason Mizell, also known as Jam Master Jay.
In August of 2022, Jordan and Ronald Washington were indicted in the unsolved murder of Mizell. A previously unsealed 10-count indictment shed light for the first time publicly on the motive that remained a mystery for so long.
Federal prosecutors allege the two men entered Jay's 24/7 Studio in Jamaica in search of 10 kilograms of cocaine they intended to distribute in Maryland.
Mizell, who was allegedly in possession of the narcotics at the time of the incident, informed Washington that he "would not be involved in distributing the narcotics in Maryland, which precipitated the murder conspiracy," prosecutors say.
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The indictment alleged Jordan delivered the fatal shot that killed Jay. Jordan and Washington were each charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder, while Jordan faces several additional distribution counts.
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Jam Master Jay was the one-man band for Run-DMC -- a DJ with scratches and beats that kept the party going while the Rev. Run and DMC unloaded rhymes. Yet the pioneering rapper encountered the same fate as the greats after him like Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.
Jay's studio has been converted into the Hall of Fame studio owned by a new company that has kept Jay's legacy alive with painted murals and several RUN DMC memorabilia that decorate the walls.
