The hip-hop icon, real name Jason Mizell, was fatally shot in a Queens recording studio on 30 October 2002, but the 37-year-old’s murder went unsolved for years – until now.
On Monday, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Seth DuCharme, announced longtime suspects Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan, Jr. had each been indicted by a grand jury for charges including “drug-related homicide and use of a firearm in connection to that offence”.
In addition, Jordan, who was arrested on Sunday, is facing a “conspiracy narcotics distribution count and seven substantive distribution counts”.
The 36-year-old was set to be arraigned on Monday afternoon, while 56-year-old Washington, who was already serving time for robbery, is due to be formally charged in the coming days.
In a press conference, DuCharme stated: “Back in 2002, on October 30th, we allege that the defendants, Jordan and Washington, walked into a music studio in Queens, where Mr. Mizell and others were working, hanging out. They walked in and they murdered him in cold blood.”
The acting U.S. Attorney insisted authorities “really never gave up on this case”, and declared: “Today, we begin to answer that question of who killed Jason Mizell and why, and we are confident we can prove those charges beyond a reasonable doubt.”
