FIL – Jam Master Jay, aka Jason Mizell, a member of hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, is seen in Los Angeles in this February 25, 2002, stock photo. Two suspects have been charged in the murder of Jam Master Jay, who has so far been one of New York City’s most notorious unsolved murders, two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Monday, August 17, 2020. (AP Photo / Krista Niles, Map)
FIL – Jam Master Jay, aka Jason Mizell, a member of hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, is seen in Los Angeles in this February 25, 2002, stock photo. Two suspects have been charged in the murder of Jam Master Jay, who has so far been one of New York City’s most notorious unsolved murders, two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Monday, August 17, 2020. (AP Photo / Krista Niles, Map)
NEW YORK (AP) – Two men accused of killing 2002 hip-hop artist Jam Master Jay, who has been one of the most notorious unsolved murders in New York City to date, three lawmakers have told officials on Monday.
The officials were not authorized to speak in public and did so on condition of anonymity. One of them identified the suspects as Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan. Federal prosecutors were expected to announce the charges at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Washington, who apparently lived on the couch in Jay’s home in the days before his death, was publicly listed as a possible suspect as a witness until May 2007. He is currently serving. a federal prison sentence that comes from a string of robberies he committed while on the run from police after Jay’s death.
In the then-submitted court papers, prosecutors alleged that Washington overturned a handgun and ordered people in Jay’s Queens recording studio to lie on the ground, while another man murdered him on October 30, 2002.
Washington “provided cover for his partner to shoot and assassinate Jason Mizell,” prosecutors wrote.
Jason “Jay” Mizell, professionally known as Jam Master Jay, was a member of the 1980s hip-hop sensation with Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniel. Their hits were “It’s Tricky,” “Christmas in Hollis” and the Aerosmith remake collaboration “Walk This Way.”
Jay was once shot in the head with a .40-caliber bullet by a masked assailant in his studio in Hollis, Queens, where he grew up, police said at the time. He left behind a wife and three children.
Police identified at least four people in the studio with Jay, including the two gunmen. The city and Jay’s friends raised more than $ 60,000 in reward money, but witnesses refused to come forward and the case was lost.
Jay’s acquaintance with Washington has shocked his family. Before he slept on Jay’s bench, Washington was linked to the 1995 fatal shooting of Randy Walker, a close associate of the late Tupac Shakur.
___
Balsamo reported from Washington, DC
.
