Two men have been convicted of Jason Mizell’s murder, one of which was overturned. Now the third man is going to confess the act.
Run-DMC got their own star on the Hollywood Rock Walk in 2002. Left Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, center Darryl “DMC” McDaniel, right Joseph “Run” Simmons. PDO
A DJ who was part of the Run-DMC band Jam Master Jay’s i.e. accused of murdering Jason Mizell Jay Bryant is going to plead guilty, says AP News.
It would be the first time anyone would admit to being involved in the DJ’s 2002 murder.
In 2024 Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington was convicted of Mizell’s murder, but a judge later overturned Jordan’s conviction.
Bryant was charged with murder in 2023. Like the other two men, he has previously pleaded not guilty, but according to AP News, his attorney and federal prosecutors are now negotiating a plea deal in which he would receive a lighter sentence.
Mizell was shot to death in a recording studio in New York in October 2002. The murder remained a mystery for more than 20 years until the convictions of Jordan and Washington. Before Jordan was released, he was believed to have fired the fatal shot.
Bryant was charged after Mizell’s DNA was found on a hat found at the scene of her death. He is charged with accessory to murder and is believed to have opened the emergency exit that allowed Jordan and Washington to enter the studio.
The murder is suspected to be related to illegal cocaine trade.
Jordan was Mizell’s grandson and Washington was one of DJ’s childhood friends. Bryant, on the other hand, had no clear connection to him. It was unclear at trial whether Bryant had ever even met Mizell.
Run-DMC is one of hip-hop’s biggest influencers and pioneers. The band, founded in 1981, is remembered among other things It’s Tricky –about the song and the one with Aerosmith Walk This Way –from the hit.
The band broke up after Mizell’s death.