‘Greed and Revenge’ drove killers of Run DMC DJ in cocaine plot

Two men accused of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay were both close to the trailblazing DJ, but were driven by “greed and revenge” over a failed drug deal when they ambushed him at his recording studio more than 20 years ago, prosecutors argued as the men’s trial began Monday. In opening statements in Brooklyn federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda Gonzalez laid out the prosecution’s case that Karl Jordan Jr., the hip-hop star’s godson, and Ronald Washington, a childhood friend, killed the 37-year-old in 2002 after they were cut out of a lucrative cocaine deal. Both men have pleaded not guilty. In this March 2, 1988 file photo the rap group Run DMC poses at the 31st annual Grammy Awards in New York City. From left, Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and the late Jason Mizell “Jam Master Jay.” Opening statements are set for Monday in the federal murder trial of Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, who were arrested in 2020 for the murder of Jam Master Jay.(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan,File) (AP) While the case languished for almost two decades until Jordan and Washington were arrested in 2020, becoming one of the hip-hop world’s most elusive mysteries, Gonzalez told...