A man has pleaded guilty to assisting in the 2002 murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, more than two decades after the hip-hop icon was gunned down in a Queens recording studio.
Jay Bryant, 52, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on Monday, April 27, admitting he helped others gain access to the building where the fatal shooting occurred. Bryant told the court he knew a gun would be used and apologized for his involvement, though he did not name the other participants.
Jam Master Jay, born Jay Mizell, was a founding member of Run-DMC alongside Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniel. The group defined 1980s hip-hop with hits like their Aerosmith collaboration "Walk This Way." Mizell was shot in the head at his recording studio in 2002, a case that remained unsolved for two decades.
Federal prosecutors had previously indicted Bryant in 2023, citing his DNA found on a hat at the crime scene. He initially pleaded not guilty. In 2024, Mizell's godson Karl Jordan Jr. and childhood friend Ronald Washington were convicted of the murder, but Jordan's conviction was overturned in 2025, and Washington continues to appeal.
Prosecutors alleged the killing stemmed from a drug deal dispute, claiming Mizell was executed after cutting the perpetrators out of a $200,000 deal. Bryant faces 15 to 20 years in prison for the killing and related drug and gun charges. Court documents suggest he changed his plea to negotiate a deal with prosecutors.
The case has seen several twists, including a 2024 trial where an eyewitness identified a suspect and recounted Mizell's final moments. Defense lawyers even invoked Harry Potter in closing arguments, and a judge ruled that the accused's lyrics could not be used as evidence.