18 years after his murder, two suspects have been arrested in the killing of Run DMC's Jam Master Jay. According to The New York Times, 56-year-old Ronald Washington and 36-year-old Karl Jordan were arrested on charges of murder while engaged in drug trafficking.
Washington is currently serving a federal prison sentence for robbery, while Jordan was taken into custody on Sunday (August 16th) and had previously gone to prison for shooting Mizell’s nephew.
On October 30, 2002, Mizell was playing video games at his recording studio in Queens when two men entered. One of them fatally show him in the head. He left behind a wife and three children.
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TMZ reported that according to the U.S. Attorney's office, the motive behind JMJ's murder was that one of the suspects had been cut out of a drug deal. Jay allegedly acquired 10 kilos of cocaine to be distributed in Maryland by Washington, Jordan and others, but Jay allegedly told Washington he was not going to be involved.
As a result, authorities alleged that the two suspects entered Jay’s studio around 7:30 PM armed with firearms, and Jordan fired two shots at Jay at close range, one of which hit the JMJ in the head and killed him. The second shot struck another person in the leg.
Both suspects are charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting. Jordan is also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and 7 counts of cocaine distribution.
If convicted, both men are facing 20 years to life in prison, or possibly even the death penalty.
