Judge overturns conviction in Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay murder case

A federal judge has overturned the conviction of one of two men found guilty in the murder of Jason Mizell, better known as Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.

As Billboard reports, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall approved the motion for acquittal of Karl Jordan Jr., who was found guilty in 2024 of killing Mizell, who was his godfather, over a drug-related conspiracy. Ronald Washington, who was also found guilty in the killing, was denied a motion for acquittal, however.

In her 29-page ruling on the matter, Judge Hall said the prosecution lacked proof that the crime had been drug-related. “Jordan has met the heavy burden to be granted a judgment of acquittal,” she confirmed.

Mizell was shot in the head by a gunman on 30th October, 2002, while at his studio in Queens, New York. Despite witnesses being present, it took almost two decades for police to make any real movement on the case, with murder charges eventually being filed against Jordan Jr. and Washington in 2020. 

In 2023, federal prosecutors charged a third man, Jay Bryant, with involvement in the killing. He has pleaded not guilty and will stand trial in January 2026.