September date set for Jam Master Jay murder trial
Run-DMC rapper (real name Jason Mizell) was fatally shot inside his Jamaica, Queens recording studio at the age of 37 in 2002.It was a cold case until 2020 when police, the FBI and other law enforcement bodies indicted two men, Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr., on charges of murder.According to AllHipHop, jury selection for the case will start on September 22, while opening statements and testimony will commence on September 26.If the COVID pandemic causes any issues then a backup trial date will be set for February 2023. The government expects the trial to last roughly two weeks.Washington is currently serving a federal prison sentence for robbery, while Jordan was taken into custody in August 2020.Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Seth DuCharme announced that a grand jury had returned an incitement alleging that the two defendants were responsible for the murder on October 30, 2002.“They shot him in cold blood,” DuCharme said in a press conference at the time.