PREVIEW

Trial Opens for Murder of Jam Master Jay After Over Twenty Years. On January 29, opening statements were scheduled for a trial involving two men accused of murdering Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay in 2002. The trial comes over 20 years after the DJ was shot in his New York City recording studio. Both Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, who prosecutors claim shot and killed Jay in a botched drug deal, have pleaded not guilty. The death of Jay, birth name Jason Mizell, went unsolved until the two men were arrested in 2020. Despite Run-DMC's anti-drug stance expressed in their lyrics and PSAs, prosecutors allege that Jay had been involved with cocaine trafficking since the mid-1990s. Prosecutors claim that Jay had acquired 22 pounds of cocaine, which was intended to be distributed in Maryland by Washington, Jordan and others. Following a dispute, prosecutors say that Jay cut Washington out of the scheme, prompting an armed confrontation on October 30, 2002. Fox News reports that witnesses to the crime had remained tight-lipped despite over $60,000 in rewards offered for information, frustrating efforts to solve the case. According to prosecutors, witnesses have now come forth after twenty years to identify both Washington and Jordan as the assailants. Both men reportedly face a minimum of 20 years in prison if found guilty. Last year, a third man was charged in connection with the shooting and will be tried in a separate trial. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT