Third suspect in Jam Master Jay murder expected to change plea

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The third man charged in the killing of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay could plead guilty Monday.

Prosecutors say Jay Bryant let the killers into the Queens studio in 2002. He is expected back in federal court Monday afternoon, where he could change his plea.

Bryant had been expected to go to trial this year in the federal drug conspiracy case tied to the murder. Two weeks ago, his attorney filed notice that the 52-year-old would accept a plea deal.

Bryant was implicated in a superseding indictment in 2023, three years after Karl Jordan Jr. and Tinard Washington were charged.

Those cases were severed, and Jordan and Washington went to trial in 2024.

Federal prosecutors say advances in technology later identified Bryant's DNA at the scene. They believe he opened the back door to Jason Mizell's Jamaica, Queens, studio, allowing Jordan and Washington inside.

Monday's hearing is separate from ongoing proceedings involving Jordan. His murder conviction was overturned last year, and while his family is seeking his release on bail, federal prosecutors are appealing.