Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay was slain in "an ambush" fueled "by greed and revenge," US prosecutors told jurors Monday, as defense lawyers cast doubt on available evidence in the trial over the alleged murder carried out 20 years ago.
The trial, to be decided by an anonymous jury in Brooklyn federal court, is centered on the events of October 30, 2002, when the pioneering rap music star Jason "Jay" Mizell, widely known by his DJ moniker, was fatally shot in the head in his studio in Queens.
He was 37 years old and a father of three.
The murder remained a cold case until federal prosecutors in August 2020 announced a 10-count indictment against suspects Ronald Washington, now 59, and Karl Jordan Jr., the alleged shooter, who is now 40.
Both men appeared in court sharply dressed -- Jordan in a blue vest over a white shirt with a striped tie, Washington in a black blazer -- listening as the jury was sworn in and the prosecution opened.
Mizell, Jordan and Washington all hailed from Hollis, Queens, where the DJ kept a music studio even as his fame soared with Run-DMC hits including "It's Tricky."
Prosecutor Miranda Gonzalez told jurors that following a drug deal dispute, Jordan shot a 40-caliber bullet into Mizell's head, "killing him instantly" in a "brazen crime."
She said Washington, also armed, blocked witnesses from leaving and forced them to the floor, before fleeing with Jordan and an alleged accomplice who had let the men in through a back door.
"He would be murdered in his own music studio, by people he knew," she said during her opening statement.
Gonzalez added that many people, including Washington, relied on Mizell for money, prompting the artist's lucrative side hustle in the drug trade.
But John Diaz, representing Jordan, emphasized in his statement how "the narrative has changed over time" noting how witnesses refused to cooperate with authorities for months, and even years.
Defense attorney Ezra Spilke told jurors the case was focused on "10 seconds, 21 years ago."
He called the prosecution's version of events "one version of many," questioning the validity of memories dating back a generation.
He also emphasized the friendship between Washington and Mizell, as well as the financial situation discussed by the prosecution: "Why bite the hand that feeds you?" Spilke said.
"Mizell was a beloved artist, but convicting the wrong person... does not solve the tragedy," he said. "It just adds another one to it."
Jordan and Washington are imprisoned in Brooklyn. They face charges of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking, and firearms-related murder.
Jordan, who was 18 at the time of the alleged crime, also faces several additional narcotics distribution counts.
Along with LL Cool J and Public Enemy, Run-DMC were trailblazers of new-school hip hop -- a sound characterized by rock elements, aggressive boasting and sociopolitical commentary -- and its outgrowth, golden era hip hop, which included eclectic sampling.
Along with Jam Master Jay, Run-DMC included the MCs who dropped rhymes, Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl McDaniels, or "DMC," all of them from Hollis.
The seminal group were the first rappers featured on MTV, and established a new rap aesthetic incorporating street culture, a departure from the flashy, disco-inflected attire of their predecessors.
Their single "My Adidas" off their hit album "Raising Hell" led to an endorsement deal with Adidas, kicking off today's inextricable link between hip hop culture and sneakers.
And the "Walk This Way" remake off the same album was even more successful than the original 1970s hit, with Run-DMC and Aerosmith performing a rap-rock version that became a touchstone of the genre.
Prior to his death, Mizell became influential in New York as a cultivator of local talent, working with young rappers and co-founding a DJ academy.
Jam Master Jay's slaying followed a spate of murders within the rap community in the 1990s, including the shootings of superstars Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
The suspects on trial could have faced the death penalty but US Attorney General Merrick Garland directed against it.
In May 2023, prosecutors filed a superseding indictment that charged a third defendant, Jay Bryant, now 50, who US attorneys say let Mizell's murderers into the building. He will be tried separately.
