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Almost two decades after Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay’s death, his alleged killers will be going to trial.

The two suspected murderers, Ronald Washington, 56, and Karl Jordan, Jr., 36,  are scheduled to begin their federal trial on Sept. 26 after jury selection on Sept. 22, AllHipHop reported. They are expected to be on trial for two weeks. If there are any COVID-19-related issues, the trial will be pushed back to Feb. 2023.

“The defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, a brazen act that has finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents and prosecutors who never gave up on this case,”  Acting United States Attorney DuCharme said in a news release.

Washington and Jordan are accused of killing the hip-hop pioneer over a drug deal that fell through, according to the Department of Justice’s news release. Jam Master Jay allegedly bought 10 kilograms of cocaine to be sold in Maryland by Washington and Jordan, Jr. and other drug dealers. When Jam Master Jay told Jordan, Jr. that Washington wouldn’t be a part of the deal, they set out to kill him, according to legal documents. The two men are accused of then breaking into his recording studio in the Hollis section of Queens, New York on Oct. 30, 2002.  Jordan, Jr. is accused of shooting Jam Master Jay in the head and shooting someone else in the studio named  Uriel “Tony” Rincon in the leg.

The murder of Jam Master Jay, born Jason Mizell, had remained a cold case until August 2020 when it was announced that Washington and Jordan, Jr. were indicted and charged with murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and firearm-related murder.

“The ATF New York Field Division never believed this case was unsolvable,” ATF Acting Special Agent-in-Charge McCormick said.  “Working tirelessly alongside the NYPD Cold Case Squad, we were determined to bring justice for the Mizell family and see these killers held accountable.”

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