2 men found guilty of all charges in 2002 Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay murder trial in New York
BROOKLYN, New York -- Two men from Queens have been found guilty on all counts in the Oct. 30, 2002, murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC.
Karl Jordan Jr., also known as "Little D" and "Noid," and Ronald Washington, also known as "Tinard," were each charged with one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell.
As part of the 10-count indictment, Jordan was also charged in August 2020 with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty.
The defense attorneys for Jordan and Washington argued during closing arguments on Wednesday that there is no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting, according to New York ABC station WABC. The attorneys pointed the finger at a third man who was charged in the fatal shooting, per WABC, who is expected to face trial in 2025.
ABC News reached out to the attorneys representing Jordan and Washington for further comment but requests were not returned.
Each defendant is facing a minimum of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, which prosecuted this case.
Prosecutors claimed during the trial, which began on Jan. 29, that Mizell was murdered by Jordan and Washington, who was Mizell's childhood friend, because the famed DJ was allegedly going to cut them out of a cocaine distribution deal -- approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine acquired from a narcotics supplier in the Midwest.
The two defendants were going to be cut out of the lucrative deal because a drug dealer, later identified as Ralph Mullgrav, declined to work with Washington, according to The Associated Press.
Mullgrav, who testified during the trial, claimed that Mizell "wasn't a drug dealer," but had dabbled in drug sales "to make ends meet" -- a claim that the DJ's family disputes, according to the AP.
WATCH | Set the Record Straight: The Jam Master Jay Case
Prosecutors alleged an armed Washington and Jordan entered Mizell's recording studio, 24/7 Studio, on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, at around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2002.
Once in the studio, Washington pointed his firearm at an individual and demanded that they lie on the floor, while Jordan fired two shots at Mizell at close range, with the fatal shot striking him in the head and another hitting him in the leg, prosecutors said in a statement announcing the indictment.
"The defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, a brazen act that has finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents and prosecutors who never gave up on this case," acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement, announcing the charges.
Mizell rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the pioneering hip-hop trio Run DMC, which was founded in 1983 with Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons and Darryl McDaniels. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and received rap's first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
