Jam Master Jay news: Judge voids ruling of 1 of 2 men found guilty of killing Jason Mizell of Run-D.M.C., Karl Jordan Jr.
NEW YORK — One of the two convictions in the Jam Master Jay murder was overturned by a judge.
Nearly two years after a jury delivered its verdict, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall voided the conviction of Karl Jordan Jr. on murder charges.
The judge ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence that the man had a motive to kill Jason Mizell, also known as Jam Master Jay.
An eyewitness testified that he saw Jordan shoot the DJ – his own godfather – in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002.
But Jordan’s lawyers had argued that the evidence didn’t support prosecutors’ claims that he killed Jam Master Jay, as revenge for a failed drug deal.
“We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served,” attorney John Diaz said in an email.
Jordan had not yet been sentenced on the murder charges, but remains behind bars awaiting trial on drug charges from many years after the killing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing the decision.
Separately, the judge said the government proved the motive in the case against co-defendant Ronald Washington; so, his motion for an acquittal was denied.
Mizell worked the turntables in Run-D.M.C. as the group helped hip-hop break into the pop music mainstream in the 1980s with such hits as “It’s Tricky” and a fresh take on Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”
His killing became one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive cases.
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