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\n\tA judge overturned the conviction of Karl Jordan, Jr., one of the two men found guilty<\/a> last year for the 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay<\/a>, on Friday. U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall decided to acquit Jordan, according to The Associated Press<\/a><\/em>, after ruling that the U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case didn\u2019t provide enough evidence of a motive for Jordan to kill the Run-DMC DJ, whose real name was Jason Mizell.<\/p>\n \n\tJudge DeArcy Hall, who had presided over the trial, denied the other man convicted in Mizell\u2019s death, the DJ\u2019s childhood friend Ronald Washington, requests for acquittal and a new trial. The New York Times<\/a> <\/em>reports that she believed the government proved its case with regard to Washington.<\/p>\n \n\tAlthough a witness, Uriel \u201cTony\u201d Rincon, told the jury he saw Jordan fire the fatal shot that killed Mizell, Judge DeArcy Hall decided that prosecutors ultimately failed to connect the shooting to its overarching narrative, alleging Mizell\u2019s murder was an act of revenge after he cut Washington out of a drug deal.<\/p>\n \n\tJordan, who is currently in custody at Brooklyn\u2019s Metropolitan Detention Center, had not yet been sentenced. He had been facing a minimum of 20 years behind bars. It was unclear at publication time when he would be released.<\/p>\n \n\tJordan had also been charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine at the time of the verdict. The DOJ had yet to set a trial date at that time.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cOn behalf of Mr. Jordan and his family, today\u2019s decision brings a measure of solace as they approach the holiday season,\u201d one of Jordan\u2019s lawyers, John Diaz, tells Rolling Stone<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tA rep for the Department of Justice tells Rolling Stone<\/em>, \u201cThe decision is being reviewed,\u201d with no further comment.<\/p>\n \n\tReps for Run and DMC did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone\u2019s <\/em>requests for comment. A rep for Mizell\u2019s sons, Jesse and TJ, who spoke with Rolling Stone<\/em><\/a> last year, also did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n \n\tAfter weeks of testimony, a jury at a Brooklyn federal courthouse in February 2024 found Jordan and Washington both guilty of murdering Mizell. In 2020, the DOJ charged the two men with murder \u201cwhile engaged in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and firearm-related murder.\u201d<\/p>\n