BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — A peeping tom, a man wrongfully accused of a crime, and a Run-DMC fan are among a pool of potential jurors for the trial of two men accused of fatally shooting Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC.
Approximately two dozen people were brought to Brooklyn federal court for jury selection on Monday to determine if they could impartially sit on the panel in the government’s case against Karl Jordan, Jr., 40, and Ronald Washington, 59. Jordan Jr., who also goes by “Little D” and “Noid,” is accused of shooting Mizell over a drug dispute more than two decades ago. They were indicated in 2020.
Mizell was shot in the head with a .40 caliber gun on the second floor of a recording studio on Merrick Boulevard in Queens on Oct. 30, 2022, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors argued that Mizell was killed after cutting the defendants out of a drug-trafficking deal. Mizell had obtained about 10 kilograms of cocaine that were supposed to be distributed by Washington and Jordan, according to court records. Court documents show both defendants had access to a .40 gun and Jordan allegedly threatened the hip-hop artist for excluding him from the deal.
The defendants are charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder, prosecutors said. Jordan faces several other drug distribution charges. Jordan allegedly kept dealing drugs after Mizell's murder and was selling cocaine on a weekly basis up until his arrest in 2020, prosecutors said. In 2017, he allegedly sold drugs to an undercover officer seven times, according to court documents.
In May 2023, Jay Bryant, 50, was charged with murder for allegedly participating in Mizell’s death. He reportedly left behind an article of clothing at the crime scene that contained his DNA. Bryant will be tried in 2026.
A recorded video statement Jordan made in 2010 will not be part of the trial, the judge ruled Monday. In the video, Jordan allegedly said “aim of the head” and “no body shots” as the model for 2010.
The judge said that the statement doesn't pertain to the 2002 slaying when the model could have, for example, been “love and peace.”
During jury selection, prosecutors objected to a college student who admitted he was charged with unlawful surveillance for putting a camera in a bathroom. The man referred to himself as a “youthful offender.” The judge denied the request.
The potential juror who was accused of a crime said he spent thousands of dollars to clear his name, and the case was eventually dismissed. The man said he could be impartial.
The four-week trial begins with opening arguments on Jan. 29.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
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