Nearly two decades after the murder of Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay, prosecutors believe they have found the men behind one of the most notorious unsolved murders in New York.
Run-DMC, one of the pioneering bands in hip hop, during the Grammy Awards in New York in 1988. From left: Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. Mark Lennihan / AP / NTB scanpix
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Run-DMC’s Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, poses during a drug demonstration in New York in 1986. G. Paul Burnett / AP / NTB scanpix –
Two men are charged with the murder, one of whom is in federal prison, convicted of committing a series of robberies while on the run from the police after the murder of Jay in 2002. He has previously been mentioned as a possible suspect or witness to the murder. When the prosecution presented the charges on Monday, they also indicated that Jay, who was praised for his opposition to drugs, may have been assaulted in connection with a cocaine trade. Jason “Jay” Mizell, best known as Jam Master Jay, was a member of the 1980s hip-hop sensation Run-DMC. The band is known for, among other things, “It’s Tricky”, “Christmas in Hollis” and a version of the Aerosmith song “Walk This Way”. Jay was killed with a shot to the head in his recording studio in Queens by a masked perpetrator, police said at the time. “They went in and killed him in cold blood,” Acting State Attorney Seth DuCharme said at Monday’s press conference. One man was armed when he ordered people in the studio to lie down on the floor while the other man shot and killed Jay on October 30, 2002, according to prosecutors. The two accused men participated in an agreement on the distribution of 5 kilos of cocaine, according to the indictment, which does not say whether Run-DMC’s DJ is suspected of having had any role in this before he was killed. The prosecuting authority has requested that both be remanded in custody until the trial.
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