Jay Bryant, the third man charged with the murder of Run-DMC’s DJ, Jam Master Jay, has pleaded guilty to his role in the 2002 killing.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, Bryant faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 20 years for his role in the murder. He submitted his plea on April 27 in a Brooklyn federal court in front of United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg.
Included in his plea are separate narcotics trafficking and firearms charges that Bryant pleaded guilty to on Dec. 2, 2023.
“More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant’s role, and today he finally admitted his guilt,” said United States Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr, in a written statement. “The prosecutors in our Office and our law enforcement partners never give up, no matter how long it takes, in the pursuit of justice for the victim and the victim’s family.”
Bryant originally pleaded not guilty to the murder charge in 2023, but prosecutors informed the court that he would be accepting a plea deal.
He was accused, along with his co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, of killing Jason Mizell, known to the world as Jam Master Jay. Jordan and Washington were convicted in February 2024. In December 2025, a judge overturned Jordan’s conviction.
Bryant was indicted nearly three years after Jordan and Washington, after officials said that they found his DNA on a hat in Jay’s recording studio. Prosecutors said witnesses said Jordan was the shooter while Washington blocked the door during the shooting.
They said that Bryant entered the building and opened a back fire door, allowing Jordan and Washington to enter without ringing the bell to gain access to the studio. Bryant’s uncle said his nephew told him that he shot Jay after the DJ reached for a gun. No witness confirmed that Bryant was in the studio.
Prosecutors suggested that Bryant touched the hat, leaving his DNA, and that Jordan or Washington then carried the hat into the studio and dropped it. Yet, neither Washington’s nor Jordan’s DNA was found on the hat. The men allegedly killed Jay after he was given 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment in August 2002. Prosecutors said Jay was supposed to sell the product in Maryland. Washington and Jordan were brought in on the deal.
After a disagreement between Washington and another person, Jay cut Washington and Jordan out of the deal, leading to the killing of the popular DJ.
No court date was revealed for Bryant’s sentencing.
Third Man Suspected in Jam Master Jay Killing Pleads Guilty
