There has been a big development in the murder of Run-D.M.C.’s legendary DJ, Jam Master Jay. According to NBC News, another person has been indicted
in the killing of the popular DJ.Jay Bryant, 49, has been charged in the murder of Jam Master Jay, née Jason Mizell. This news comes almost three years after Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were charged in the 2002 shooting at Jay’s studio in Queens, NY. Jordan and Washington previously pleaded not guilty.
Bryant was engaged in narcotics trafficking when the murder occurred, according to a superseding indictment filed in New York’s Eastern District. He is also facing a firearms charge. Bryant is being held on unrelated federal drug charges and is expected to be arraigned at a later date, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said.
The prosecutor’s office stated that Bryant was seen going into Jam Master Jay’s recording studio right before the shooting took place on October 20, 2002. A detention memo states his DNA was on a piece of clothing left at the scene.
Bryant allegedly admitted to an associate that he was the person who shot and killed Jam Master Jay, but according to the memo, there is some doubt. There will be evidence presented at an upcoming trial that will show that Jordan was the one who fired twice from close range.
One of the shots hit someone else in the leg, and after Jam Master Jay was hit in the head, Bryant, Jordan, and Washington left the scene.
“Mr. Bryant will be pleading not guilty,” Bryant’s attorney Cesar de Castro stated in an email. “Securing an indictment in a secret grand jury, applying an extremely low burden of proof, is one thing. Proving it at trial is another matter.”
Jam Master Jay was the DJ in the groundbreaking hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C. that started in the Hollis section of Queens, The trio was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.