Jay Bryant, 52, pleaded guilty on Monday to a federal murder charge in the killing of Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay. The admission comes nearly a quarter-century after the pioneering rapper and deejay, born Jason Mizell, was shot to death in 2002, a case that stymied investigators for decades.
During the court proceedings, Bryant admitted he helped other individuals gain entry into a building so that they could ambush Jam Master Jay inside his recording studio. Despite his guilty plea, Bryant did not name other people involved in the crime.
Jam Master Jay was a member of Run-DMC, the first rap group to achieve gold- and platinum-selling albums, appear on a Rolling Stone cover, and have a video featured on MTV.