NEW YORK (AP) – Charges have been filed against a third man 2002 shooting The charges against Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay were declared by prosecutors on Tuesday, marking the latest move in a case that had simmered for years.
Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York filed a substitute lawsuit Tuesday, charging Jay Bryant, 49, with the death of Jason “Jay” Mizell, known professionally as Jam Master Jay.
two other men Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. had previously been charged in the death of Jay in August 2020. The hip-hop pioneer was shot in the head in his studio on October 30, 2002. Bryant’s attorney, César de Castro, said in an email that the allegations had just been made public.
“Securing an indictment by a secret grand jury and applying an extremely light burden of proof is one thing. It’s another thing to prove it in court,” he said.
Bryant, of Queens, was previously in custody on federal drug charges.
When the other two men were charged, authorities said Jay’s death was related to a failed drug deal. In a letter filed with the court on Tuesday, prosecutors said Bryant and the other two men entered the building that evening and fled after the shooting. They said Bryant was seen entering the building and his DNA was recovered at the scene.
Jay was on Run-DMC in the early 1980s along with Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniel. The group helped bring hip hop music into the mainstream. Run DMC’s hits include “King of Rock”, “It’s Tricky” and a remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way”.
For years, Jay’s death remained an unsolved case, and witnesses were reluctant to comment despite being offered a reward.
