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Two men from Queens have been found guilty on all counts in the October 30, 2002, murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the iconic hip-hop group Run DMC.
Karl Jordan Jr., also known as “Little D” and “Noid,“ and Ronald Washington, also known as “Tinard,“ were charged with one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell.
As part of the 10-count indictment, Jordan was also charged in August 2020 with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty.
The defense attorneys for Jordan and Washington argued during closing arguments February 21 that there is no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting, according to ABC’s New York affiliate WABC. The attorneys pointed the finger at a third man who was charged in the fatal shooting, per WABC, who is expected to face trial in 2025.
Each defendant is facing a minimum of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which prosecuted this case.
Prosecutors claimed during the trial that Mizell was murdered by Jordan and Washington, who was Mizell’s childhood friend, because the famed DJ was allegedly going to cut them out of a cocaine distribution deal.
Mizell rose to fame in the 1980s as part of Run DMC, which was founded in 1983 with Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Darryl McDaniels. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and received rap’s first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
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