NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Two New York City men will stand trial in September for the murder of Run DMC emcee, Jam Master Jay, setting the stage for a verdict almost exactly two decades after the rap icon’s killing.
Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell was gunned down in his Hollis, Queens studio in 2002. In August 2020, federal prosecutors charged Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. with the murder, claiming Jay was killed after a cocaine deal gone bad. Authorities claim Washington waved a handgun at others in the studio ordering them to lie down while Jordan shot Jay in the head.
Defense lawyers have been arguing for Jordan’s release on $1M bond by saying there are “credible witnesses who will testify that he was at their home at the same time as the alleged murder”, as reported by Billboard. They also assert Jordan is at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 by remaining incarcerated as he is not vaccinated.
In court documents filed Tuesday (February 22), the prosecution states Jordan filmed an amateur video in front of the fallen rapper’s mural in Queens is just one example him openly bragging about dealing drugs and possessing guns after Jay’s death in 2002. The court papers state this type of behavior has proved Jordan a danger to the community. They also described Jordan as a “healthy 39-year old man who remains unvaccinated, despite widespread availability of the vaccine” at the federal jail.
Prosecutors and the attorneys for the two accused men have agreed to set a September 22 trial date, which is expected to last approximately two weeks. The attorneys have a chance to file any motions (including to dismiss the case) until April and if the trial is COVID-19 delayed, a fallback date would be February 2023. If convicted, Jordan faces a minimum of 25 years.
