Jam Master Jay Murder Accomplice Pleads Guilty to Role in Run-DMC Legend's Killing

Justice has been a long time coming in the murder of Run-DMC legend Jason Mizell -- AKA Jam Master Jay -- because another man has admitted his role in the hip-hop icon's killing nearly 24 years after the shocking crime.

Monday, federal prosecutors announced Jay Bryant pleaded guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn to his role in Jam Master Jay's 2002 murder ... after prosecutors alleged he helped the killers get inside the legendary DJ's Queens recording studio before the fatal shooting.

"More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant's role and today he finally admitted his guilt," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said. "The prosecutors in our Office and our law enforcement partners never give up, no matter how long it takes, in the pursuit of justice for the victim and the victim's family."

According to the DOJ, Bryant entered the building housing JMJ's 24/7 Studio on Oct. 30, 2002, and opened a locked fire escape door ... allowing co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr. (whose conviction was later overturned) and Ronald Washington to slip inside undetected.

Prosecutors say once inside, things turned deadly fast ... Washington allegedly pulled a gun on another person in the studio and ordered them to the floor, while Jordan walked up to Jam Master Jay and fired two shots at close range.

Mizell was struck in the head and killed. Another person in the studio was shot in the leg but survived.

The motive was traced back to an alleged drug dispute. They claim JMJ -- outside of his wildly successful career with Run-DMC -- helped arrange large cocaine deals ... and that Jordan and Washington were furious after being cut out of a Maryland drug transaction worth nearly $200,000.

Prosecutors say that the incident ultimately set the murder plot in motion.

Bryant now faces 15-20 years in prison when he's sentenced. He'd already pled guilty to separate narcotics trafficking and firearms charges back in 2023.