A trial in Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay’s 2002 killing is starting, and testing his anti-drug image

By JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The 2002 killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay has stood for years as one of the hip-hop world’s most infamous and elusive crimes. Now the case is going to trial. Opening statements are set for Monday in a Brooklyn federal court. Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were arrested in 2020 and have pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say they gunned Jay down in his recording studio over a drug dispute. The prosecution narrative challenges the public understanding of a turntable ace known for his anti-drug advocacy. Run-DMC was the first rap group to notch gold and platinum albums and the first with a video on MTV.