Jam Master Jay Murder Suspect Claims To Have Evidence To Prove His Innocence

Jay Bryant, one of three suspects in the murder of Jam Master Jay will officially be tried separately. Brooklyn Federal Court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall made the ruling earlier this month. Bryant claims that if he is tried alongside his co-defendants, Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr., they’ll point the blame at one another, complicating the trial.

“Bryant argues that ‘there is no plausible scenario’ in which his co-defendants do not turn to the third-party witness their claims of innocence,” Hall wrote. “And at argument, Bryant invited the court to ‘read the tea leaves’ on this issue. I have. Upon a searching review of the record, it is clear that at least Jordan has sufficiently telegraphed that he intends to call the third-party witness to whom Bryant made his alleged admission.” Bryant’s attorney, Cesar de Castro, plans to present “three irreconcilable theories” to the jury. Firstly, he will portray Bryant as innocent, secondly, that he acted alone as the shooter, and thirdly, that he was involved but didn’t fire a gun.

Jam Master Jay Performs In London

Jam Master Jay of Run DMC performs on stage at the Respect Festival, Finsbury Park, London, United Kingdom, 2001. (Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images)

Federal prosecutors' case focuses on them claiming Bryant already admitted to pulling the trigger, that he was seen entering the studio during the incident, and that he has been linked to the crime scene by DNA evidence. They believe Washington and Jordan wanted revenge for Jam Master Jay cutting them out of a 10-kilo cocaine deal. Further complicating the process, Bryant's defense claims it was Jordan who fired the fatal shots. Jordan's legal team conversely plans to call a witness who will implicate Bryant.

Jam Master Jay was shot and killed inside his studio in Jamaica, Queens in 2002. No arrests in the case were made until 2020 when authorities booked Jordan and Washington. During his career, he was best known as the DJ for the iconic group, Run-DMC. Be on the lookout for further updates on the trial on HotNewHipHop.

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