Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay (real name Jason Mizell) was shot and killed in 2002, and arrests weren't made until 2020. Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. were suspected of murdering the hip-hop pioneer, and in 2024 they were found guilty. Now, Karl Jordan Jr.'s conviction has been nixed after the judge ruled that there was not enough evidence that he had a motive to kill Mizell.
The decision was made on Friday (Dec.19) by U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall. Jordan's grandfather testified that he had seen Jordan shoot Mizell, but Jordan’s lawyers argued that the evidence didn't support prosecutors' claims that his alleged motive was revenge for a botched drug deal. The judge stated that the motive was stronger against Washington than against Jordan. Washington's bid for an acquittal or a new trial was rejected.
"A jury could reasonably infer that Washington was excluded from a potentially lucrative Baltimore deal and sought to retaliate against Mizell for his exclusion," the judge wrote in the papers. But, she continued, "from what evidence, then, could the jury have reasonably inferred that Jordan sought to retaliate against Mizell for the failure of the Baltimore deal? There was none."
Jordan's lawyers are also calling for Jay Bryant, who was charged in Mizell's killing in 2023. His DNA was discovered on a hat at the shooting scene and his uncle testified that his nephew told him he shot Mizell. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
