April 17, 2026
Jay Bryant originally pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in 2023.
One of three men accused of participating in the killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay in 2002, is expected to take a plea deal.
According to The Associated Press, Jay Bryant, who pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in 2023, plans to change his plea when he next appears in court. That date has not been announced.
Bryant, along with his co-defendants Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, was accused of killing the popular Queens DJ. Jordan and Washington were convicted in February 2024. In December 2025, a judge overturned Jordan’s conviction.
Bryant’s plea change was included in a court docket entry April 16. There were no details publicly available about what that entails. No information has been released about a prison sentence or anything related to the plea.
The 52-year-old Bryant was indicted nearly three years after the other suspects, after officials said that they found his DNA on a hat in Jay’s music studio. Prosecutors said witnesses identified Jordan as the shooter while Washington blocked the door during the shooting.
They said Bryant entered the building and opened a back fire door, allowing Jordan and Washington to enter without ringing a bell to gain access to the studio. Bryant’s uncle said his nephew told him that he shot Jay after the hip-hiop reached for a gun. No witness confirmed that Bryant was in the studio.
Still, prosecutors suggested that Bryant touched the hat, leaving his DNA, and that Jordan or Washington then carried the hat into the studio and dropped it. Yet, neither Washington’s nor Jordan’s DNA was found on the hat.
The men allegedly killed Jay because he was given 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment in August 2002. Prosecutors said Jay was supposed to sell the product in Maryland. Washington and Jordan were brought in on the deal.
After a disagreement between Washington and another person, Jay cut Washington and Jordan out of the deal, leading to the killing of the popular DJ.
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