The jury has reached a verdict in the New York murder trial of Run DMC star Jam Master Jay.
The decision is expected to be read at 3:30 p.m. EST following the week-long trial in federal court in Brooklyn.
Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington are accused of killing Jam Master Jay, real name Jason Mizell, who co-founded the hip-hop group in the 1980s, during a drug deal.
If found guilty, the two men face a minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
According to prosecutors, Mizell was murdered in October 2002 during a failed cocaine deal.
Jam Master Jay – born Jason Mizell – was part of the legendary hip-hop group Run-DMC. He was shot in a recording studio in Queens in 2022
Karl Jordan Jr. (left), now 40, the hip-hop star's godson, is on trial for the murder of Jam Master Jay. He is being tried along with co-defendant Ronald Washington (right), 59
The case has remained unsolved for more than two decades, with prosecutors charging Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr., the suspected shooter, with murder in 2020.
The two pleaded not guilty to charges of drug trafficking-related murder and firearms-related murder. Jordan pleaded not guilty to several counts of distribution of narcotics.
In their respective closing arguments Wednesday, the defense teams said a third person, Jay Bryant, was actually Mizell's killer.
Prosecutors accuse Bryant of letting Mizell's killer into the musician's studio, where he was shot. But they say Bryant was an accomplice in the larger conspiracy and not the shooter himself.
He will be tried separately at a later date.
The defense team pointed out that Bryant's hat was discovered at the crime scene and said the spotlight should be on him and not their clients.
Attorney Michael Hueston, representing Jordan, sought to poke holes in the testimony and point out inconsistencies, urging jurors that reasonable doubt remained about Jordan and Washington's involvement in the murder.
“This is an attempt to make a mockery of the justice system,” said Susan Kellman, a lawyer on Washington’s team. “They have no case against anyone except Jay Bryant.”
But in their rebuttal, prosecutors reiterated their arguments that Jordan and Washington were actually executioners who attacked Mizell as part of a drug dispute.
Mizell worked alongside rappers Joe “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels as the group helped shape Hip in the 1980s with hits like “It's Tricky” and a remake of Aerosmith's “Walk This Way.” -Bringing hop into the mainstream. from the bestselling 1986 album “Raising Hell.”
Mizell was in his recording studio in Hollis, the Queens borough in eastern New York City, where he and the two defendants grew up
A gun was found outside the crime scene and was among the evidence presented to the jury
Jordan – the slain musician's godson – was angry after being cut out of a cocaine deal and fired a .40-caliber bullet into Mizell's head while Washington held others in the room at gunpoint, prosecutors say.
Two key witnesses – Lydia High and Uriel “Tony” Rincon, who was shot in the leg on the night of the murder – had refused to cooperate with law enforcement for years, with both they and prosecutors attributing their reluctance to fear.
Prosecutor Mark Misorek said the defense team's efforts to shift the focus to Bryant were “pure speculation.”
“Karl Jordan Jr. shot Jason Mizell through the head and he did it while Ronald Washington was controlling the crowd,” he said.
The trial has revealed a lesser-known side of Mizell, who railed against drug culture along with his band Run-DMC.
But prosecutors say Mizell became involved in the drug trade to support his lifestyle and those of those around him as enthusiasm for the group's music – its hits include “It's Tricky” and “Walk This Way” – grew began to fade.
In the years before his death, they say, he was a quiet middleman in the drug trade and a financial source for family and friends.
According to prosecutors, Jordan and Washington hatched their plan after Mizell fired them from their jobs.
Along with LL Cool J and Public Enemy, Run-DMC pioneered new-school hip-hop—a blend of rock elements, aggressive swagger, and sociopolitical commentary—and its evolution, Golden Era hip-hop, which incorporated eclectic sampling.