Jam Master Jay

On the evening of October 30, 2002, Jason William Mizell, known worldwide as Jam Master Jay—the DJ and co-founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Run-DMC—was shot once in the head at his 24/7 Recording Studio on Merrick Boulevard in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York. He was 37 years old. A friend in the studio, Uriel Rincon, was also shot in the leg. Despite the shooting occurring in a room with several people present, witnesses were initially uncooperative with investigators.

The murder sent shockwaves through the music industry. Run-DMC had been one of the most influential groups in hip-hop history, helping bring the genre into mainstream culture with songs like 'Walk This Way' and 'It's Tricky.' Mizell was widely regarded as a beloved figure in Queens and the hip-hop community, making the murder particularly shocking. The case quickly went cold as the 'no snitching' code prevalent in the neighborhood stifled witness cooperation.

For 18 years, the case remained one of New York City's most high-profile unsolved murders. The breakthrough came in August 2020, when federal prosecutors indicted Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. The charges alleged that the murder was connected to a failed drug deal involving kilogram quantities of cocaine. Mizell had allegedly agreed to distribute cocaine but then cut Jordan out of the deal, leading to the deadly confrontation.

Karl Jordan Jr. was convicted of murder in February 2024 after a federal trial in Brooklyn. Ronald Washington had earlier pleaded guilty. The convictions finally brought closure to one of hip-hop's most notorious cold cases, though many in the community expressed surprise at the drug-dealing motive, which contrasted with Jam Master Jay's public image as a mentor and community figure.