The DJ was fatally shot in his New York studio in 2002. Nearly two decades later in 2020, two men, Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington, were charged with murder and on Monday their trial got under way.
Run DMC star Jam Master Jay was killed by his godson and a childhood friend who were both motivated by greed and revenge, say prosecutors, as the defendants’ murder trial began.
The 37-year-old DJ, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was fatally shot in the head in his New York recording studio in 2002.
He was part of one of the best-known rap acts of the 1980s.
In 2020, Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington were charged with murder and on Monday their trial got under way in New York City.
Prosecutors said godson Jordan and childhood friend Washington became enraged after being cut out of a lucrative drug deal.
Mizell had allegedly acquired 10kg of cocaine which Jordan, Washington and others were planning to sell in Baltimore.
However, the dealer involved in the sale refused to work with Washington, removing the defendants from a possible $200,000 (£157,000) payday, prosecutors alleged.
On 30 October 2002, the two men allegedly entered the star’s studio in Queens in an “ambush”.
Prosecutors say Washington waved a gun and told one person to lie on the floor, while Jordan shot Mizell in the head at point-blank range, killing him instantly.
Another shot hit and wounded another man in the studio at the time, Mizell’s friend Uriel “Tony” Rincon, before the pair fled, prosecutors said.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, they could face at least 20 years behind bars.
The death penalty is not being sought for either defendant.
The jury was told they would hear from witnesses who were in the studio that evening and that the pair confessed to others about their involvement in the incident.
Miranda Gonzalez, prosecuting, said it was a “brazen murder” adding: “Each defendant was proud that they had taken down Jam Master Jay and got away with it.”
