Judge Overturns Conviction In 2002’s Jam Master Jay Murder

U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall on Friday vacated the conviction of Karl Jordan Jr. in the 2002 killing of Run-DMC co-founder Jason William Mizell, known as DJ Jam Master Jay, concluding prosecutors failed to prove a key element of their case.

Judge Hall granted Jordan’s motion for a judgment of acquittal, overturning his February 2024 conviction for murder while engaged in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and a related firearm offense. The decision leaves intact the conviction of co-defendant Ronald Washington and sends a major jolt through a prosecution tied to one of hip-hop’s most notorious unsolved killings.

Mizell was shot and killed inside his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002. The case remained cold for nearly two decades before federal charges were filed. Prosecutors alleged the killing stemmed from retaliation over a collapsed cocaine distribution scheme involving a planned Baltimore operation.

Jordan, who is Mizell’s godson, was accused of participating in the conspiracy and firing the fatal shot. The government argued Mizell’s role as a middleman blocked profits and motivated violence. Judge Hall rejected that theory as unsupported by the trial record.

Karl Jordan Jr.’s Jam Master Jay’s Murder Conviction Overturned by Federal Judge

“The court is not convinced,” Hall wrote in a 29-page opinion.

She said the government offered “no evidence suggesting that Jordan felt cheated by the failure of the Baltimore deal” or was motivated to kill Mizell over drugs. The court characterized the prosecution’s motive theories as “impermissibly speculative and just conjecture.”

Hall acknowledged evidence showing Jordan participated in drug activity at the time. Still, she found prosecutors failed to connect that conduct to retaliatory intent. She ruled Jordan met the heavy burden required under Rule 29 for acquittal.

The court conditionally denied Jordan’s request for a new trial, rendering it moot after vacating the conviction.

Hall denied similar motions from Washington, finding sufficient evidence for a jury to infer he sought retaliation after being excluded from a potentially lucrative deal. Washington remains convicted.

At trial, prosecutors relied on eyewitness testimony. Uriel “Tony” Rincon testified Jordan fired the fatal shot. Another witness, Lydia High, said a man with a neck tattoo greeted Mizell moments before gunfire. High also testified Washington held her at gunpoint as she tried to flee.

Jordan, who was 18 at the time, has long maintained an alibi. His defense has pointed to Jay Bryant, whose DNA was found on a hat at the scene. Bryant has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled for trial in May 2026.

The U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York said it is reviewing the decision.