{"id":568871,"date":"2026-04-07T01:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T01:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/568871\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T01:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T01:04:07","slug":"nyc-judge-orders-run-dmc-rap-legends-formerly-convicted-killer-freed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/568871\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC judge orders Run DMC rap legend’s formerly convicted killer freed"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Queens man found guilty of executing Run-DMC\u2019s Jam Master Jay \u2014 but 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

Brooklyn federal court Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ordered the release of Karl Jordan Jr., 42, who was arrested in 2020 on charges of fatally shooting <\/a>the hip-hop legend, whose real name was Jason Mizell.<\/p>\n

Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ordered that Jordan be freed on a $1 million bond signed by his loved ones. PIX11<\/p>\n

\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

\u201cI wish you luck. And you will stay out of trouble,\u201d the judge warned.<\/p>\n

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

But Jordan, who still faces other drug charges unrelated to Mizell\u2019s 2002 murder, won\u2019t walk free immediately.<\/p>\n

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

Jordan would be subject to location monitoring if released.<\/p>\n

But the judge said she was also trusting Jordan\u2019s \u201cword\u201d that he would follow the court\u2019s rules.<\/p>\n

Jordan has spent more than five years locked up in a Brooklyn jail after being arrested for the cold-case killing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, bond is about you giving me your word,\u201d Hall told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m aware of that,\u201d Jordan replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, my word is my bond,\u201d the judge then said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLikewise,\u201d Jordan answered.<\/p>\n

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

\u201cY\u2019all know I do not play,\u201d the judge said from the bench. \u201cWe all understood, folks?\u201d<\/p>\n

The rap legend\u2019s 2002 murder had been a cold case until the feds announced arrests in 2020. ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, your honor,\u201d Jordan\u2019s supporters collectively responded from the courthouse gallery.<\/p>\n

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

Her decision came despite an eyewitness identifying Jordan as the man <\/a>who shot the rap icon dead at close range inside Mizell\u2019s Queens studio.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors claimed at trial that the killing was a\u00a0revenge 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

Washington\u2019s conviction still stands and he awaits sentencing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Queens man found guilty of executing Run-DMC\u2019s Jam Master Jay \u2014 but whose conviction was overturned by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":568872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[21022,88,251099,5871,38137,216,194],"class_list":{"0":"post-568871","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-brooklyn-federal-court","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-jam-master-jay","11":"tag-metro","12":"tag-murders","13":"tag-music","14":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/568872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}