Jay Bryant, 52, pleaded guilty on April 27, 2026, in Brooklyn federal court to his role as an accomplice in the October 30, 2002, murder of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell).
Bryant admitted he opened the fire escape door at Mizell’s Queens recording studio, allowing Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. to enter and carry out the shooting. “I knew a gun was going to be used to shoot Jason Mizell,” Bryant told Judge Peggy Cross-Goldenberg. “I knew that what I was doing was wrong and a crime.”
The plea comes 24 years after Mizell was shot in the head while playing video games. Prosecutors say the murder stemmed from a failed drug deal involving 10kg of cocaine worth $200,000.
Bryant faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 20 years. Sentencing is set for October 15, 2026. Washington and Jordan Jr. were convicted in Feb 2024, but Jordan’s conviction was overturned Dec 2025.
