More than two decades after hip-hop pioneer Jam Master Jay was gunned down in his Queens studio, one of the men charged in the killing has formally entered a guilty plea.
In a case that has shadowed New York rap for more than twenty years, one of the men charged in the 2002 killing of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay formally entered a guilty plea in federal court today. The plea closes one of the most painful loose ends in hip-hop history.
Jam Master Jay — born Jason Mizell — was shot in his Queens recording studio in October 2002. The case ran cold for nearly two decades despite repeated leads, until federal prosecutors brought charges that finally moved the matter into open court.
The plea details, according to those briefed on the agreement, include cooperation with authorities and an agreed-upon sentencing range that prosecutors and defense are expected to argue inside of at sentencing. A formal sentencing date has not yet been set.
Reaction from former Run-DMC bandmates and the broader hip-hop community has been somber but pointed. The case sat heavy on the genre for a generation, and today's plea, several artists noted, is closure that took far too long to arrive.