BROOKLYN (CN) — In a tense final day of the Jam Master Jay murder trial, defense attorneys asked a jury Wednesday to acquit two men accused of killing the late hip-hop legend over two decades ago.
Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington are accused of conspiring to kill the late Run-DMC star — whose real name is Jason “Jay” Mizell — in his Queens recording studio on Oct. 30, 2002. Prosecutors say the pair conspired to kill Mizell after being cut out of a drug deal worth approximately $200,000.
Defense attorneys argued during closing arguments that federal prosecutors’ case ignores crucial pieces of evidence that would clear their clients of the charges against them.
“The performances you’ve seen on the witness stand were not Oscar-winning. They were just performances … Yet we have these two men on trial for a crime that the evidence points to someone else for,” Susan Kellman, Washington’s attorney, said Wednesday.
Michael Hueston, Jordan’s attorney, argued that federal prosecutors’ arguments are “illogical,” calling on George Orwell’s “1984” for inspiration.
“Two plus two equals five. That’s the sort of game that’s going on,” Hueston said.
Both defense teams outlined evidence that they claim point to a third person that killed Mizell, and insisted their clients weren’t involved.
A third man, Jay Bryant, was indicted last year by federal prosecutors for conspiring to kill Mizell but will be tried separately.
According to prosecutors’ theory, Bryant was able to get access into the building where Mizell’s recording studio was housed and let Jordan and Washington in through a fire escape door that only opened from the inside. Then, while the pair entered the studio to kill Mizell, Bryant slipped out the front of the building from where he came.
But defense attorneys argued that theory ignores heaps of evidence that doesn’t fit neatly into the government’s theory.
“Who is Jay Bryant? Jay Bryant is literally reasonable doubt in this case,” Hueston said.
Jay Bryant’s uncle, Raymond Bryant, previously testified that his nephew confessed to killing Mizell.
Hueston also pointed to a blue hat that was discovered next to Mizell’s body which federal investigators identified as containing Bryant’s DNA.
“It’s a wrap. It’s over. What are we doing here? It’s literally insurmountable. I could sit down right now,” Hueston said.
But Hueston continued. He also pointed to Bryant’s “unusual” physical stature, with a height of approximately 6’4”. Jordan and Washington, on the other hand, are both under 6 feet tall.
Tanya Davis, who worked for a financial services company in the same building as Mizell’s studio, also previously testified that she saw a man slip into the building behind Mizell’s business manager Lydia High.
Davis testified that she saw a “very tall” man slip behind High as she entered the building and walk down the hallway toward the recording studio. She described him as being a light skin Black man, with braids and some “scruff.”
She also said he appeared to be “dragging his leg a little bit.” Bryant’s uncle, Hueston pointed out, also stated that his nephew had a limp.
After Hueston’s closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Artie McConnell criticized Hueston’s use of “conjecture” and “speculation” throughout his summation.
Since McConnell did not object during closing arguments, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall said Hueston’s closings would remain unaltered, but that McConnell was putting Kellman “on notice.”
“I hope Mr. McConnell recognizes almost all of his summation was speculation, conjecture and nonsense … We have respect for his office but not for him,” Kellman responded.
Amidst the growing tension between the parties, Hall responded that all so far have introduced speculation without the proper evidence to back it up.
“Both of you all are on notice … you all will only ask the jury to draw reasonable inferences,” Hall said.
In Kellman’s closing arguments, she further drilled into federal prosecutors’ theory that Bryant was simply there to open the door for Jordan and Washington to commit the murder.
“Why would anybody put their lives at risk for the purpose of a door jam. To be a door jam,” Kellman said.
She also criticized part of federal prosecutors’ theory that Jordan and Washington were waiting outside the fire escape entrance for Bryant to let them in. Kellman pointed to the security monitors — one in the lounge area and one in the control room — that displayed footage from the buildings’ front and back entrances.
According to Kellman, multiple people inside the studio would have been able to see Jordan and Washington waiting by the back entrance if they really were there.
“Maybe they were out there. And maybe they borrowed Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak,” Kellman said, eliciting a slight chuckle from the gallery.
In rebuttal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Misorek pushed back against the defense’s arguments.
“They have outright suggested the people at this table have been doing things wrong. Our job and your job is to go through the maze and find the truth. And the truth is they killed him,” Misorek said, gesturing to Jordan and Washington.
If found guilty, the defendants face a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland directed the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District not to seek the death penalty.
The jury will start deliberating Thursday morning.
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