Jay Bryant, 52, pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge on Monday, admitting to his role in the killing of Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC. The admission comes nearly a quarter-century after the pioneering rapper and deejay, born Jason Mizell, was shot to death in 2002.
Bryant told a judge that he helped other people gain entry into a building and a recording studio to ambush the DJ. The killing had stymied investigators for decades, though Bryant did not name others involved in the crime.
Jam Master Jay was a member of Run-DMC, the first rap group to achieve gold- and platinum-selling albums, a Rolling Stone cover, and a video on MTV.