US judge voids murder conviction in Jam Master Jay killing

Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr., the alleged shooter, were found guilty on all counts in February 2024, convicted of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearms-related murder of the artist whose real name was Jason Mizell.

But on Friday, judge LaShann DeArcy Hall wrote that "Defendant Jordan's motion for a judgment of acquittal is GRANTED," while denying Washington's legal bid to overturn his conviction in the case.

Jordan had not yet been sentenced for the murder and remained in prison on drug charges unrelated to the 2002 death of Mizell.

"In the absence of sufficient proof of any motive -- here, a drug-related motive -- the charge cannot be sustained. Jordan argues that the Government failed to...adduce evidence sufficient to support the conclusion that Jordan had a drug-related motive to kill Mizell. The Court agrees," DeArcy Hall wrote in a 29-page order.

A spokesman for the prosecutors who brought the case said "the decision is being reviewed."

Prosecutors presented a case of a drug deal gone wrong, saying that Washington and Jordan, who both knew Mizell, killed the famous artist as revenge for cutting them out of a cocaine deal.

Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, one of the founding members of the 1980s rap group, was shot and killed by two gunmen inside his studio in Queens, New York in 2002.

The 37-year-old, record-scratching member of the platinum-selling rap group, was shot in the head, while another man was wounded by the gunmen.

The murder followed a series of tragedies in the hip-hop community, including the violent deaths of rapper Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. in the 1990s.

Run-DMC's 1985 release "Raising Hell" became the first rap album to go platinum, and "Walk This Way," a collaboration with Aerosmith's Steve Tyler, made the top of the charts.

Along with LL Cool J and Public Enemy, Run-DMC were trailblazers of new-school hip-hop -- mixing rock elements, aggressive boasting and sociopolitical commentary -- and its outgrowth, golden era hip-hop, which included eclectic sampling.

The seminal group were the first rappers featured on MTV, and established a new rap aesthetic incorporating street culture -- a departure from the flashy, disco-inflected attire of their predecessors.

Prior to his death, Mizell was influential in New York as a cultivator of local talent, working with young rappers and co-founding a DJ academy.