Jay Bryant, the third man charged for Jam Master Jay’s 2002 murder, may avoid trial unlike his co-conspirators. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors and Bryant’s attorney César de Castro confirmed they were discussing a plea deal on Thursday (April 4).
Prosecutors engaged in plea deal talks with Bryant weeks after Jam Master Jay’s killers Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were convicted of murder. A Brooklyn jury found Jordan and Washington guilty on all counts in February.
Jordan was Jam Master Jay’s godson. Washington was a longtime friend of the late DJ, whose real name was Jason Mizell. Prosecutors said Jordan and Washington killed the Run-DMC member over a drug deal.
“More than two decades after they killed Jason Mizell in his recording studio, Jordan and Washington have finally been held accountable for their cold-blooded crime driven by greed and revenge,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “That the victim, professionally known as Jam Master Jay, was a Hip-Hop icon and Run-DMC’s music was born in Hollis, Queens, in this very district, and beloved by so many, adds to the tragedy of a life senselessly cut short. I thank the jurors for their service, and I commend our prosecutors, the NYPD detectives, both active and retired, and the Special Agents and investigators from the ATF and my office, for their relentless pursuit of justice for the victim, his family, and the community.”
Bryant was charged for his alleged role in Jam Master Jay’s murder in 2023. Prosecutors accused him of helping Jordan and Washington by letting them enter the victim’s recording studio through a fire escape door.
Authorities found Bryant’s DNA on a hat in the studio. Bryant’s uncle claimed his nephew shot Jam Master Jay, but no other witnesses corroborated the uncle’s story. Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell said Bryant was “involved, but he’s not the killer.”