A federal judge has overturned the murder conviction of a man found guilty in the 2002 killing of Run-D.M.C. legend Jam Master Jay.
The Decision
On Friday, a Brooklyn federal judge acquitted Karl Jordan Jr.
The ruling concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he had a motive to murder Jay. The decision comes nearly two years after a jury convicted Jordan in the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, that took place inside his Queens recording studio on October 30, 2002.
The same judge who presided over the trial made the rare move to overturn the verdict, citing lack of proof behind prosecutors’ claims the murder stemmed from a failed drug deal.
An eyewitness testified had testified that Jordan, Jam Master Jay’s godson, was the shooter. Defense attorneys consistently argued that the government failed to establish a clear motive.
“We are really happy for Mr. Jordan and his family that justice was served,” his attorney John Diaz said. Jordan remains incarcerated as he awaits trial on unrelated drug charges from years after the killing.
Meanwhile, the judge denied Jordan’s co-defendant Ronald Washington’s request for an acquittal or new trial. Prosecutors have not publicly commented on the ruling.
Jay’s death remains one of hip-hop’s most elusive and heartbreaking cases, alongside Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Jam Master Jay helped revolutionize music in the 1980s, bringing hip-hop into the mainstream with boundary-breaking hits like “It’s Tricky” and the genre-defining remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way.”