Two men who are accused of the murder of Jam Master Jay did not get the charges dismissed, as they requested, nor did the judge grant them separate trials, according to Vlad TV. However, they did get drug trafficking charges thrown out.
Jason Mizell, "Jam Master Jay" of Run DMC, arrives at Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Guy Osery's "The Greatest Party Of All Time" presented by RBK at Cipriani August 29, 2002 in New York City. Jam Master Jay, whose given name is Jason Mizell, was shot and killed inside a Queens, New York studio October 30, 2002, according to a group representive. Police, who say two unidentified men were shot around 7:30 p.m. local time, have confirmed that one man was dead on arrival at a local hospital. (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)
Attorneys for Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Tinard Washington argued that prosecutors on the case waited over a decade to charge both of them will murder to the detriment of the defense. They added that trying both men at the same tie would prejudice the jury. Still, federal judge LaShann DeArcy Hall pushed back against both of the arguments.
Prosecutors claim Jordan and Washington ran into Jam Master Jay's studio with guns before killing him execution-style in front of witnesses -- an act allegedly motivated by a drug deal gone wrong. The judge agreed to dismiss the drug charges against Jordan, who was hit with conspiracy to sell cocaine between 2016 - 2020 following a drug operation.
"The Indictment is devoid of any facts underlying the charges, let alone any allegations connecting the 2002 murder with the 2016 conspiracy. And, differences between the alleged conspiracies are apparent," Hall wrote in his order, revealing prosecutors would need to try Jordan in a different case.
Both of the accused have claimed their innocence. Jordan said that he has an alibi while Washington claimed it was another person who fired the gun.
"It seems contrary to reason that the Government would delay an indictment on a murder charge against Jordan and Washington—risking loss of witnesses and other evidence—on the hope that it might 12 years later bring additional charges against Jordan," Hall added.
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