New York, NY – The mystery surrounding who killed Jam Master Jay has engulfed Hip Hop culture since 2002 when the Run-DMC legend was gunned down inside of his Jamaica, Queens recording studio. Although there was plenty of speculation on who carried out the murder, no arrests had ever been made — until now.
According to the New York Times, federal prosecutors will announce the indictment of two men who have long been suspected of participating in the slaying on Monday (August 17).
Law enforcement officials, who only agreed to speak under a cloak of anonymity, said Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. were indicted on charges of murder while engaged in drug trafficking. Washington is currently serving a federal prison sentence for robbery, while Jordan was taken into custody on Sunday (August 16).
In 2018, Netflix released a documentary called ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?, which featured several interviews several with his friends, family members and acquaintances who shared stories they’d heard regarding suspects in his murder.
In a February interview with HipHopDX, DMC spoke about Jam Master Jay’s murder and revealed the underlying tragedy of the whole incident.
“The thing about Jay was, Jay could have had a studio in Hollywood,” he said. “Jay could have had a studio in Manhattan. Jay’s studio was five minutes from where he grew up at. So my fight isn’t with the individual; I don’t know what the individual been through. I don’t know that individual’s mindset, story or whatever. But we have to understand with Hip Hop, it’s all about tech and the mindset of individuals. It’s not just about catching Jason’s killer.
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“It’s about preventing any young man or woman from getting shot in our neighborhoods, especially when it comes to Hip Hop because Hip Hop was created so these individuals wouldn’t have to do those things. But I just remember saying that and the whole world cursed me out, “Muthafucka, fuck that dude that killed Jay.” But I said, “Yeah, no, no, you’re right, you’re right.”
Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell in 1965, was only 37 at the time of his death.