18 years after his murder, a federal grand jury has indicted two men in the death of pioneering DJ and founding Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay. Per Vulture, “the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York unsealed a criminal indictment alleging that Karl Jordan Jr., 36, and Ronald Washington, 56, conspired to kill Jam Master Jay in retaliation for a drug dispute.” In 2002, Jam Master Jay, whose real name was James Mizell, was shot in his Jamaica, Queens studio at the age of 37. Jordan was taken into custody on Sunday and pleaded not guilty for the murder and eight counts of drug charges levied against him. Washington, who is currently serving time in a federal prison for robbery, will be arraigned later this week.
The unsealed indictment reveals new details about the case. At the time of his death, authorities had difficulty establishing a motive due to Mizell’s reputation of remaining out of prominent rivalries. This is a stunning development as the case was officially declared cold back in 2017.
More to come…