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After damn near 20 years, two men have finally been indicted in the murder of the late, great Jam Master Jay. However, the details surrounding the rap pioneer’s death are only opening old wounds instead of offering complete closure.
According to the Feds, the motive behind the shooting and death of Run-DMC’s DJ, born Jason Mizell, was due to a drug dealing dispute. Per the prosecutors in the case, JMJ had been allegedly dealing cocaine for six years, and squeezing an old partner out of a deal is what lead to his death on October 30, 2002.
Ronald “Tinard” Washington, 56, and Karl Jordan Jr., 36, were hit with murder charges for rushing into Jay’s Queens studio and gunning him down.
Washington, long ago fingered as an accomplice, was already in prison for an unrelated crime (armed robbery) while Jordan was arrested on Sunday (August 16).
Per the indictment that came down Monday (August 17), Jay was dealing cocaine, but had recently cut his killers out of a deal. Allegedly, Jay had recently purchased 10 kilos of coke from a connect in the Midwest. The intent was for Jordan, Washington and others to distribute the drugs in Maryland.
However, Jay told Washington that he would not be in on the deal.
Per Acting U.S. Attorney Seth Ducharme, Mizell was in his studio on Merrick Blvd. around 7:30pm when Washington and Jordan were buzzed in while armed. While Washington waved his gun at someone inside and ordered them to lie down on the floor, Jordan stepped to Jay and fired two shots, one hitting him in the head and killing him, the other bullet hitting a bystander who survived his wound in the ankle.
“They shot him in cold blood,” said Ducharme according to the New York Daily News.
“Upon hearing this news we have mixed emotions; we truly hope that these indictments are a solid step towards justice being served in the murder of Jay,” said Mizell’s family via a statement. “We realize that there are other families out there who have lingering pain who continue to wait for their own closure, and we pray that this case gives them hope. In spite of all the tragedies we’ve seen this year alone, we take comfort in our family, our faith and in time’s ability to heal all. We can only hope that this news brings awareness to the fact that Black lives do matter.”
Consider that Jam Master Jay was murdered 18 years ago—meaning that Karl Jordan, Jr. was just an 18-year-old when he snuffed out the Hip-Hop pioneer’s life. Nevertheless, the greatness and influence of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay can never be sullied.
