Man charged over 2002 Jam Master Jay killing to plead guilty, documents show | Hip-hop
Court records show one of three men accused of Jam Master Jay’s murder plans to plead guilty; This will be the first time anyone has admitted in court that they played any role in the Run-DMC star’s 2002 death.
Jay Bryant pleaded not guilty to murder following his indictment in 2023, but his attorney and federal prosecutors told the court in their latest letter that they were negotiating a plea deal.
Court papers stated Bryant intended to change his plea without saying anything about the charge, conduct he might accept or the punishment he could expect. Prosecutors declined to comment. A message was sent to Bryant’s lawyer.
Notice is not an irrevocable commitment, and defendants can change their minds about pleading guilty even while sitting in court.
If Bryant continues to plead, it could bring some closure and complexity to an already complex case. Co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr and Ronald Washington were convicted by a jury in 2024, but Jordan was later acquitted by a judge.
Bryant was charged almost three years after the others when authorities said Bryant’s DNA was found on a hat at the music studio where Jam Master Jay was shot to death. Born Jason Mizell, Jay was a DJ at Run-DMC, producing beats and scratches that helped bring rap into the mainstream of music in the 1980s. The trio’s hits include It’s Tricky and a cover of Aerosmith’s Walk This Way.
Prosecutors have long floated the theory that Jordan and Washington went after Jay out of anger over a failed drug deal. Jordan shot Jay while Washington blocked the door during the confrontation, according to prosecutors and trial witnesses. Both men denied the allegations.
Jordan was Jay’s godson and Washington was one of the DJ’s childhood friends. Bryant, by contrast, had almost no connection to the rap star. According to testimony at trial, Bryant knew someone who was in common with Jordan and Washington, but it was unclear whether Bryant had ever met Jay.
After the alleged DNA match was announced, prosecutors said Bryant sneaked into the studio building and opened a fire door, allowing Washington and Jordan to avoid the buzz and ambush the DJ.
Bryant’s uncle claimed his nephew told him he shot Jay after he reached for a gun. But no other witnesses let Bryant into the studio, and prosecutors challenged the uncle’s testimony even though they had witnesses. Instead, they suggested Bryant touched the hat and then Jordan or Washington carried the hat into the studio and dropped it.
Neither Washington’s nor Jordan’s DNA was found on the hat, according to court documents.
Michael Hueston, one of Jordan’s lawyers, argued that the accusations against Bryant cast reasonable doubt on the case against Jordan. Jordan’s conviction was ultimately overturned for unrelated reasons.
Bryant, 52, was in jail on federal drug and weapons charges when he was charged in Jay’s death. He has since pleaded guilty in the drug and firearms case and is awaiting sentencing.
