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A third man has been indicted on charges related to the murder of Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay.
According to a report the New York Times published on Tuesday, May 30, 49-year-old Jay Bryant of Queens was formally charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and other drug-trafficking offenses. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn accused Bryant of being the third person who was involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell. They claim Bryant was seen entering the building right before the shooting. He also left an article of clothing containing his DNA at the studio where Mizell was shot and killed.
“Securing an indictment in a secret grand jury, applying an extremely low burden of proof, is one thing,” Bryant's lawyer Cesar de Castro said about the indictment. “Proving it at trial is another matter.”
Prior to the shooting, an investigation revealed that Mizell was allegedly in talks to purchase nearly 10 kilos of cocaine from a dealer in the Midwest. The famed DJ reportedly tried to keep the two other suspects Karl Jordan Jr., 39, and Ronald Washington, 59, out of the deal worth $1.7 million. That's when Jordan and Washington went to Mizell's studio and fatally shot him in the head.
Jordan and Washington were indicted on murder charges in 2020. They both pleaded not guilty and are awaiting their trial, which is set for January 2024. Meanwhile, Bryant, who is currently awaiting trial for a separate drug-related charge, plans to plead not guilty.