Jam Master Jay Trial: 2 Men Found Guilty Of Murder

BYCole BlakePublished on February 27, 20243.6K Views

American hip hop group Run-DMC (American rapper Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels, American musician and DJ Jason 'Jam Master Jay' Mizell (1965-2002), and American rapper Joseph 'Run' Simmons) attend the launch party for animation company icebox.com, held at The Factory in West Hollywood, California, 7th June 2000. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

Two men have been found guilty in the murder of Jam Master Jay.

A jury has found two men guilty of murder in the trial for the killing of Jam Master Jay. Both Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington stood trial in the attack on the hip-hop icon who was killed at a recording studio in 2002. The two face at least 20 years behind bars and a maximum of life in prison.

Prosecutors claim Jay acquired 22 pounds of cocaine that he intended to have Washington and Jordan, among others, distribute. Eventually, Jay informed Washington that he planned to cut him out of the deal and the defendant began hatching a scheme to kill him in response. Washington and Jordan held Jay at gunpoint at the recording studio on October 30, 2002, and instructed him to lie on the floor. Jordan then executed him with two fatal gunshots at close range.

Jam Master Jay Performs In London

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

The state called a witness who was at the recording studio that night and they corroborated the story. They claimed they were “confused and scared" to reveal Washington and Jordan's identities in the years prior to the trial. “It’s about greed, it’s about money, it’s about jealousy,” Assistant US Attorney Artie McConnell said in the prosecution’s closing arguments. “And it’s about the actions of two men, Karl Jordan, Jr., and Ronald Washington, that the evidence proves are killers.”

Washington and Jordan's defense centered around the case of Jay Bryant. They claimed he was the true killer. Bryant is set to go on trial on his own in 2026. When the guilty verdict was read, the courtroom erupted into chaos according to CNN. “Y’all just killed some innocent people. Get me outta here,” Washington shouted. Be on the lookout for further updates on Jam Master Jay on HotNewHipHop.

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About The Author

Cole Blake

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.