On October 30, 2002, pioneering DJ Jam Master Jay (aka Jason Mizell) of Run-DMC was shot and killed in a Jamaica, Queens recordings studio. It wasn't until 2020 that Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were charged in the crime that authorities tied to a big cocaine deal gone wrong. They've pleaded not guilty and will go to trial in January 2024. Now though, a third man—Jay Bryant—has also been charged with Jam Master Jay's murder.
From the New York Times:
"They walked in and murdered him in cold blood," Seth D. DuCharme, the acting U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, said when Mr. Washington and Mr. Jordan were charged in 2020.
Mr. Bryant was seen entering the building immediately before the shooting, and clothing with his DNA was found at the scene, the indictment says. He later admitted to participating in the murder and even told one person that he was the shooter, the indictment says. Prosecutors do not believe that, however, and say Mr. Jordan fired the fatal shot.
