Judge overturns murder conviction in the killing of rap legend Jam Master Jay
U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall found the government failed to prove that Karl Jordan Jr.'s role in the 2002 killing was drug-motivated.
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A federal judge on Friday overturned the conviction of a man jailed for the murder of rap legend Jason William Mizell, Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.
Karl “Little D” Jordan Jr., along with Ronald Washington, was convicted in February 2024 of killing Mizell in a New York City recording studio in 2002. Prosecutors at the time said Mizell was killed in an act of revenge for cutting the men out of a drug deal.
Jordan — who is Mizell's godson — Washington and Jay Bryant had all been charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder. Bryant has pleaded not guilty and is set to go to trial next year.
But on Friday, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall granted Jordan’s motion of acquittal and conditionally denied his motion for a new trial.
She argued the government had failed to prove that Jordan was motivated by the drug deal.
The judge also denied Washington’s motions for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial on Friday, citing that evidence showed that “a jury could reasonably infer that Washington was excluded from a potentially lucrative Baltimore deal and sought to retaliate against Mizell for his exclusion.”
But, the judge asked, according to The Associated Press, “from what evidence, then, could the jury have reasonably inferred that Jordan sought to retaliate against Mizell for the failure of the Baltimore deal? There was none.”
Attorneys for Jordan and Washington did not immediately return requests for comment Friday.
