A THIRD man has been charged in the murder of hip hop legend Jam Master Jay years after two other suspects were identified.
Jason "Jay" Mizell, 39, was shot to death inside his busy recording studio in New York City on October 30, 2002.
Jay Bryant, 49, was being held on unrelated drug charges when he was accused of being involved in Jay's death on Tuesday, ABC affiliate station KABC-TV reports.
Two other suspects, Karl Jordan and Ronald Washington, were hit with murder charges in 2020.
Prosecutors believe the music legend, who helped to bring hip hop into mainstream culture with his group Run-DMC, was killed as part of a $1.7million cocaine deal.
Federal prosecutors previously said that Jordan and Washington murdered the rap star after he cut Washington out of the deal.
Now, state attorneys are saying that Bryant, a Queens native, was seen going into the building the evening Mizell was killed. His DNA was also allegedly recovered at the scene.
Urieco Rincon, 25 at the time, was also in the Jamaica, Queens, studio and was shot in the ankle but survived.
Mizell had acquired 10 kilos of cocaine to sell in Maryland, according to TMZ.
Washington was suspected of having some involvement as far back as 2007, according to The Associated Press. He was reportedly living on Mizell's couch in the days leading up to the murder.
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He was also linked to the 1995 fatal shooting of Randy Walker, a close associate of late rap legend Tupac Shakur.
Run-DMC rocketed to the top of charts in the 1980s with their hit singles Walk This Way and It's Tricky.
The group helped to define the hip hop genre alongside contemporaries Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy.
In 1989, Mizell founded his own label Jam Master Jay Records, which signed superstars 50 Cent and Onyx.
The label discontinued operations after Mizell was murdered.
All three suspects are in custody and could face life in prison if they are found guilty.
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