A 52-year-old man has pleaded guilty to helping two others murder Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay in 2002. Jay Bryant, from Far Rockaway, Queens, admitted in court yesterday that he provided access to a recording studio in Queens where the musician, born Jason Mizell, was working, allowing Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington to ambush and kill him.
“I helped them kill Jason Mizell,” Bryant said in a prepared statement during his court appearance, according to the New York Times. Mizell was shot dead on 30 October 2002 in what prosecutors said was retaliation for cutting Jordan and Washington out of a $200,000 cocaine deal.
Jordan and Washington were convicted of the murder in 2024, but Jordan’s conviction was overturned in December 2025. A similar motion from Washington was denied. Bryant’s guilty plea comes nearly 24 years after the killing, which shocked the music world.
Mizell, alongside Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, formed Run-DMC, one of hip-hop’s most influential groups. Their hits include “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith, “Rock Box,” “It’s Tricky” and “King of Rock.” The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.
“More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant’s role and today he finally admitted his guilt,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a press release. Bryant faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 20 years in prison.
