{"id":43255,"date":"2026-04-06T22:45:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43255"},"modified":"2026-04-06T22:45:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T22:45:06","slug":"nyc-judge-orders-run-dmc-rap-legends-formerly-convicted-killer-freed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=43255","title":{"rendered":"NYC judge orders Run DMC rap legend&#8217;s formerly convicted killer freed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2026%2F04%2F125124071.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A Queens man found guilty of executing Run-DMC\u2019s Jam Master Jay \u2014 but <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/12\/19\/us-news\/conviction-tossed-in-jam-master-j-murder-case-as-judge-finds-prosecutors-didnt-establish-motive\/\">whose conviction was overturned by a federal judge<\/a> \u2014 could be freed within days after being granted a $1 million bond Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Brooklyn federal court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ordered the release of Karl Jordan Jr., 42, who was arrested in 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/08\/17\/jam-master-jay-slaying-two-reportedly-arrested-in-2002-slaying\">on charges of fatally shooting <\/a>the hip-hop legend, whose real name was Jason Mizell.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ordered that Jordan be freed on a $1 million bond signed by his loved ones. <span class=\"credit\">PIX11<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a real chance, Mr. Jordan, that you may be released in the very near term,\u201d Hall told the formerly convicted killer. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wish you luck. And you will stay out of trouble,\u201d the judge warned.<\/p>\n<p>Seventeen of Jordan\u2019s family and friends agreed to sign the hefty bail package, which includes several homes being put up as collateral. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>But Jordan, who still faces other drug charges unrelated to Mizell\u2019s 2002 murder, won\u2019t walk free immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Brooklyn federal prosecutors have until Friday to decide if they want to appeal Hall\u2019s order. If they do, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals will have a chance to overturn the judge and order that Jordan remain in lockup.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan would be subject to location monitoring if released.<\/p>\n<p>But the judge said she was also trusting Jordan\u2019s \u201cword\u201d that he would follow the court\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jordan has spent more than five years locked up in a Brooklyn jail after being arrested for the cold-case killing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAt the end of the day, bond is about you giving me your word,\u201d Hall told him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m aware of that,\u201d Jordan replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor me, my word is my bond,\u201d the judge then said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLikewise,\u201d Jordan answered.<\/p>\n<p>Hall also warned Jordan\u2019s family and friends that she would not hesitate to allow the feds to go after their assets if he attempts to flee.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cY\u2019all know I do not play,\u201d the judge said from the bench. \u201cWe all understood, folks?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>The rap legend\u2019s 2002 murder had been a cold case until the feds announced arrests in 2020. <span class=\"credit\">ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cYes, your honor,\u201d Jordan\u2019s supporters collectively responded from the courthouse gallery.<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s hearing came after the same judge in December overturned the jury\u2019s guilty verdict, finding that prosecutors didn\u2019t prove Mizell\u2019s killing was drug-related \u2014 an essential element of the federal murder charge Jordan faced.<\/p>\n<p>Her decision came despite an eyewitness <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/01\/31\/news\/witness-to-run-dmc-member-jam-master-jays-shooting-death-points-out-accused-killer-in-court\/\">identifying Jordan as the man <\/a>who shot the rap icon dead at close range inside Mizell\u2019s Queens studio.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors claimed at trial that the killing was a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/01\/29\/news\/run-dmcs-jam-master-jay-was-killed-in-greed-and-revenge-ambush-prosecutor-says-as-trial-of-alleged-assasins-begins\/\">revenge plot by Jordan<\/a> and co-defendant Ronald Washington\u00a0after the pair were stiffed in a drug deal in Baltimore just months before the shooting.<\/p>\n<p>Washington\u2019s conviction still stands and he awaits sentencing. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/06\/us-news\/nyc-judge-orders-run-dmc-rap-legends-formerly-convicted-killer-freed\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Queens man found guilty of executing Run-DMC\u2019s Jam Master Jay \u2014 but whose conviction was overturned by a federal judge \u2014 could be freed within&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}