Brooklyn federal judge Lashawn DeArcy Hall tossed the murder conviction for Karl Jordan Jr.—the godson of Run‑DMC’s dead DJ Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell—in a 29‑page decision. Hall said prosecutors couldn’t demonstrate that Jordan’s killing was tied to a drug deal.
“From what evidence, then, could the jury have reasonably inferred that Jordan sought to retaliate against Mizell for the failure of the Baltimore deal? There was none,” the judge wrote, noting that the case hinged on an alleged drug‑trafficking conspiracy that failed to connect the murder to a slicked‑up narcotic transaction.
Jordan was sentenced earlier, by a jury in February 2024, alongside Ronald Washington for the October 30, 2002 slaying of Mizell inside his Queens studio. The four‑week trial featured witnesses who described the moment the duo shot the legendary DJ as he worked in a 24/7 studio in Hollis.
One witness, Uriel “Tony” Rincon, a friend of Mizell, identified Jordan as the gunman. “I heard a couple of shots,” Rincon recalled. “I see Jay fall because his back was to me at the time. As Jay was falling, I saw Jordan shrug him off of him.”
At the hearing, prosecutors argued the killing was revenge after Washington and Jordan were cut out of a Baltimore drug deal months earlier. Judge Hall found no proof that the shooting was driven by resentment over that deal, and the state failed to show the motive.
Jordan remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn; his bail has not yet been decided. Washington’s conviction, however, was upheld by the judge.
Jordan’s lawyer, Michael Hueston, said the ruling “brings a measure of solace as we approach the holiday season.” An official for the Eastern District of New York said the decision “is being reviewed.”
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