Death by Fame on ID: What were Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington charged with?

The 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay, originally known as Jason Mizell, at the hands of Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. shook the world of hip-hop music. Jam Master Jay was shot in his head at the 24/7 Studio in Queens on October 30, 2002.

The two armed perpetrators were identified to be Mizell's godson, Karl Jordan Jr., and Ronald Washington. Mizell had reportedly cut Jordan and Washington out of a $200,000 cocaine deal, which served as the motive behind the murder. Both perpetrators were charged with and convicted of one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder.

The Death by Fame episode, titled Off the Record, showcases the ongoing trial of Jordan and Washington as it airs on Investigation Discovery on March 11, 2024, at 8 pm EST. The synopsis reads,

"Jam Master Jay, best known as Run-DMC's DJ, becomes a hip-hop legend; his life is cut short when he's executed in his recording studio; an exclusive interview with an eyewitness sheds light on this decades-old cold case."

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Why were Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington arrested?

The murder of Jam Master Jay took place in the 24/7 Studio, a recording studio, on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, on October 30, 2002. Two armed men entered the building unnoticed through a locked fire escape exit door around 7.30 pm local time and shot Jay in the head, which led to his death.

Jam Master Jay spent his childhood years with two siblings at 203rd Street. The family then shifted to the then-middle-class neighborhood of Hollis, per NBC News. Despite growing up with music, Jay was involved in petty crimes and neighborhood burglaries as a teenager. He eventually went on to perform with Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels as part of the emerging hip-hop group Run-DMC.

A Today report stated that federal prosecutors had named Ronald Washington as a suspect in April 2007. Washington was also considered a suspect in the 1995 murder of Tupac Shakur's associate Randy "Stretch" Walker. Per court documents, Washington allegedly entered the building with his accomplice and ordered the individuals in the studio to get on the ground at gunpoint.

The accomplice was later identified as Karl Jordan, the victim’s godson, by the 25-year-old Uriel Rincon, who was shot in the ankle and survived, per NPR. Mizell's business manager identified Washington as the one who pointed the gun at her and covered for Karl. Both Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were arrested in August 2020 concerning Jam Master Jay's murder.

The motive behind the crime was determined to be a drug deal gone wrong. Jason Mizell, or JMJ, had been involved in drug dealing besides his career in music between the 1990s and 2002. Mizell had reportedly acquired ten kilograms worth of cocaine in August 2002. According to a United States Attorney's Office Press Release, the quantity was intended to be distributed in Maryland by Washington and Jordan, among others.

A dispute between Ronald Washington and one of the co-conspirators in Baltimore led Mizell to cut him and Jordan out of the deal worth $200,000.

Jordan and Washington were found guilty of one count of murder engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder, according to ABC News. Jordan was also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution, but both perpetrators pleaded not guilty.