A federal judge on Friday vacated the conviction of one of two men found guilty in the 2002 murder of Run-D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay, citing insufficient evidence of motive, while upholding the other’s verdict.
The decision delivered yet another twist in hip-hop’s most baffling cold cases, unsolved for nearly 20 years until 2020 arrests. Authorities had celebrated 2024’s guilty verdicts as long-overdue justice for rap pioneer Jason Mizell, killed at 37.
Run-D.M.C.’s turntablist propelled hip-hop mainstream in the ’80s with smashes like “It’s Tricky” and Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” remix. Mizell’s slaying followed Tupac Shakur (1996) and Notorious B.I.G. (1997), capping millennium-era tragedies for rap icons.
Nearly two years post-jury decision, Brooklyn U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall—who oversaw the trial—acquitted Karl Jordan Jr. on murder charges, reversing her earlier denial of his lawyers’ motion.
An eyewitness placed Jordan, Mizell’s godson, firing the fatal shot in his Queens studio on October 30, 2002. A former tenant claimed overhearing Jordan confess. But over 18 months of post-trial arguments, defense hammered prosecutors’ motive theory: revenge over a botched drug deal.
“Just thrilled for Mr. Jordan and family—justice prevailed,” attorney John Diaz emailed. Unsentenced on murder, Jordan stays jailed pending separate drug charges.
Prosecutors are reviewing the order.
