Earlier this week, Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. were arrested for the 2002 murder of Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay.
We now have more details on why the men gunned down the rap pioneer inside his Queens recording studio.
According to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of New York, Jay and the two men were involved with cocaine trafficking.
Jay had acquired 10 kilos of cocaine from a supplier in the Midwest, to be distributed in Maryland. Washington and Jordan believed they were going to part of the deal, and when Jay told Washington he was being cut out Washington plotted and executed revenge.
“Working tirelessly alongside the NYPD Cold Case Squad, we were determined to bring justice for the Mizell family and see these killers held accountable,” ATF Acting Special Agent-in-Charge McCormick said. “For nearly eighteen years, one of these alleged perpetrators walked freely, thinking he’d gotten away with murder. But today, thanks to the unwavering efforts of the investigators and prosecutors, two individuals will answer for their crimes.”
Washington and Jordan were arraigned on charges of murder while engaged in drug trafficking. They have both pled not guilty and will next be in court September 17. Jay was 37 when he was killed.