Jam Master Jay Suspect to Plead Guilty After 24 Years

Nearly 24 years after the unsolved murder of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay, one of three charged suspects is poised to enter a guilty plea, marking the first courtroom admission of involvement in the case. Jay Bryant, indicted in 2023, intends to change his plea from not guilty, according to recent court filings from his attorney and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. The development follows weeks of quiet negotiations, though no specific charges, admissions or sentencing details have been disclosed, and the agreement remains nonbinding until formalized.

The killing occurred on October 30, 2002, when Jason Mizell, known professionally as Jam Master Jay, was shot in the head at close range in his second-floor recording studio on Merrick Boulevard in Hollis, Queens. Prosecutors allege the attack stemmed from a dispute over a failed cocaine distribution deal in Baltimore, where Mizell had recruited associates but excluded others, leading to resentment. At the time, five other people were in the studio, including Mizell's business manager, who later testified that an armed man ordered her to the floor while the shooting took place.

Bryant, now 52, was already in federal custody on...