Third Accomplice Pleads Guilty in 2002 Jam Master Jay Murder Case

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:21:00 +0200

Jay Bryant, 52, admitted in federal court in Brooklyn that he assisted in the 2002 murder of Jason Mizell, known as Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC. Bryant confessed to helping two men enter Mizell's recording studio in Queens, where Mizell was fatally shot in a planned ambush. Bryant acknowledged knowing a gun would be used and that his actions were criminal. He did not identify the men he aided, but they were previously convicted: Mizell's godson Karl Jordan Jr., who fired the fatal shots, and Ronald Washington, who blocked the door. Bryant's DNA was found on a hat at the scene. The crime was linked to a failed drug distribution deal, as Mizell had acquired 22 pounds of cocaine intended for distribution by Jordan, Washington, and others. Washington, angered by being excluded from the deal, orchestrated the murder. Jordan’s murder conviction was later overturned on appeal due to insufficient evidence connecting him to the drug dispute. Bryant had originally pleaded not guilty when first cha