After years of hypothesis and many years of frustration for relations, detectives, and followers alike, a federal jury in Brooklyn has lastly reached a verdict within the homicide trial of hip-hop pioneer Jam Grasp Jay. The U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Jap District of New York introduced Tuesday that Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington have been discovered responsible of the artist’s 2002 killing in a New York Metropolis recording studio.
Jam Grasp Jay, born Jason Mizell and co-founder of the groundbreaking hip-hop trio Run-DMC, was fatally shot at a recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, on October 30, 2002. The trial revealed that the motive behind the homicide was linked to a drug deal.
Washington, a childhood pal of Jay, and Jordan, Jay’s godson, had each pleaded not responsible to prices of homicide whereas engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related homicide. The jury’s choice means the 2 males may face a minimal of 20 years behind bars and a most sentence of life in jail. Notably, prosecutors opted to not search the demise penalty.
All through the trial, a key witness, Uriel Rincon, who was current on the recording studio the evening of the homicide, testified that Jordan and Washington entered armed. Rincon claimed that Jordan was the one who shot Jay within the head, however Rincon mentioned he saved the attackers’ identities a secret out of confusion and concern.
Within the prosecution’s closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Legal professional Artie McConnell emphasised the function of greed, cash, and jealousy within the crime. “It’s concerning the actions of two males, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, that the proof proves are killers,” McConnell demanded.
The protection countered the claims, arguing {that a} third defendant, Jay Bryant, was the precise perpetrator. Protection attorneys pointed to DNA proof on a hat discovered close to Jay’s physique, which reportedly contained solely Bryant’s DNA. In addition they highlighted safety digicam footage that allegedly confirmed Bryant as the only real defendant current on the scene.
Bryant, charged individually in Might 2023 with homicide whereas engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related homicide, has pleaded not responsible and is about to go on trial individually in January 2026.
Earlier this month, the much-anticipated and extensively acclaimed documentary “Kings from Queens: The Run DMC Story” was launched on Peacock.
