Federal prosecutors are accusing the two men implicated in the 2002 murder of legendary Run DMC member DJ Jam Master Jay with attempting to intimidate witnesses. The prosecution recently levied those allegations following the defendants’ claim that they’ll be unable to defend themselves due to being charged decades after Jam Master Jay’s murder.
“The government is aware of at least four separate witnesses that the defendants have endeavored to identify and silence through threats and coercion,” the prosecution told a federal judge.
The prosecution also countered one defendant, Karl Jordan Jr.’s, prior motion arguing that “hauling him into court” after so much time had passed would hinder his ability to defend himself, citing unavailable cell phone records and the absence of witnesses able to substantiate his claims.
“The government may properly delay an indictment for legitimate considerations, including the need to gather and review evidence in a complex investigation,” prosecutors wrote. “That is what occurred here, and the interval between the offense and the indictment was necessary for the government to prove the charged crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, was shot and killed in his studio in Hollis, Queens, on Oct. 30, 2002. After years of the case remaining unsolved, in 2020, federal prosecutors charged Jordan and Ronald Washington with the murder, during which they believe Jordan fired the shot that ultimately killed Mizell at close range.
According to the prosecution, Jordan and Washington became enraged after Mizell backed out of a drug deal in which he had arranged to purchase 10 kilos of cocaine to be distributed in Maryland by the defendants and others. This is believed to have given the pair the motive to carry out Mizell’s murder, according to the government. The Jam Master Jay murder trial is scheduled for February 2023.