\n<\/p>\n
A 52-year-old man has pleaded guilty for his role in orchestrating the murder of Jam Master Jay<\/a>. Jay Bryant was convicted in 2024 for opening a locked door that allowed his co-conspirators to easily ambush and murder the Run-D.M.C. DJ born Jason Mizell.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew a gun was going to be used to shoot Jason Mizell,\u201d Bryant said in a New York court on Monday. \u201cI knew that what I was doing was wrong and a crime.\u201d In 2023, prosecutors charged<\/a> Bryant for conspiring in the killing after his DNA was found near the scene of the crime. Bryant faces 15 to 20 years in prison.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant\u2019s role and today he finally admitted his guilt,\u201d said United States Attorney Joseph Nocella. \u201cThe 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\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n Pitchfork has reached out to Bryant\u2019s attorney for comment.<\/p>\n In October 2002, Mizell was shot in the head in his Queens studio. He was 37 years old. Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. were eventually arrested<\/a> in 2020 and charged with murder while engaged in drug trafficking. Prosecutors claimed the killing was in retaliation for Mizell excluding the men from a lucrative cocaine deal. Jordan Jr. and Washington were later found guilty<\/a> but in 2025, a federal judge overturned<\/a> the conviction of Jordan Jr., claiming that the case was \u201cimpermissibly speculative.\u201d<\/p>\n Mizell founded Run-D.M.C. in 1983 with Joseph \u201cRev Run\u201d Simmons and Darryl \u201cD.M.C.\u201d McDaniels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n