Two men are convicted in 2002 for the murder of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay

Two men were found guilty Tuesday of the murder of DJ Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, of Run-DMC. With it came a long-sought conclusion in a case that had puzzled investigators and left rap fans in mourning for more than two decades.

Karl Jordan Jr., 40, Mr. Mizell’s godson, was accused of firing the fatal bullet into Mr. Mizell’s head in 2002. Federal prosecutors said that Ronald Washington, 59, a longtime friend of Mr. Mizell, had committed the murder together with Mr. Mizell. Jordan, motivated by revenge after being left out of a potentially lucrative drug deal.

Mr. Mizell was 37 when he was shot to death in his recording studio in Queens, not far from Hollis, the neighborhood where Run-DMC and other hip-hop acts emerged in the 1980s. The group’s name referred to its emcees: Joseph Simmons, known as Run, and Darryl McDaniels, known as DMC. With Mr. Mizell providing the beats, the trio brought hip-hop to the mainstream in the mid-’80s, selling millions of records, collaborating with the rock band Aerosmith and signing a deal with Adidas, whose sneakers were part of their uniform.

By 2002, Run-DMC’s fame had waned and Mr. Mizell had turned to drug trafficking to support his family and entourage, prosecutors said. They argued that greed and revenge drove Mr. Washington and Mr. Jordan to kill Mr. Mizell, and that the pair enlisted a third man, Jay Bryant, who will be tried separately in 2026.

The prosecution presented 35 witnesses during the month-long trial, ranging from drug dealers to some of Mr. Mizell’s closest contacts, and evidence including ballistics and graphic autopsy photos. The key witnesses were those who saw the murder: Lydia High, who worked for Mr. Mizell’s record label, and Tony Rincon, an assistant.

Mr. Rincon, who identified Mr. Jordan as the shooter, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg during the ambush. Ms. High said she could not see the gunman’s face, but that Mr. Washington had held her at gunpoint when the killing occurred.

Both Ms. High and Mr. Rincon have denied for years that they knew who was responsible for Mr. Mizell’s death. Mark Misorek, a prosecutor, said Mr. Jordan and his family and friends had intimidated them and other witnesses, preventing the case from being resolved. Only after the case was reopened in 2016 were investigators able to gather enough material to move forward, leading to charges against Mr. Washington and Mr. Jordan in 2020.

“Time has resolved this matter,” Mr. Misorek said.

But defense lawyers attacked the credibility of these two witnesses and others, questioning why their stories had changed over the years — and whether their memories might still be clear more than two decades after the crime.

The initial charge against the three men was murder while involved in narcotics trafficking, and prosecutors called several witnesses who testified that Mr. Mizell had worked as a middleman in major cocaine deals in the years before his death.

Prosecutors said Mr. Washington and Mr. Mizell traveled to Baltimore shortly before the latter’s death to make a deal for 10 kilos of cocaine, worth more than $100,000.

But a dealer there objected to Mr. Washington’s participation, prompting Mr. Washington and Mr. Jordan to plan the killing as revenge, prosecutors said.

The murder took place at Mr. Mizell’s studio on Merrick Boulevard on the evening of October 30, 2002. Prosecutors said Mr. Bryant played a small role by arriving at the studio and opening a back door that allowed the two men could use.

Mr. Mizell and Mr. Rincon were sitting on a couch playing video games. Ms. High, who was subpoenaed in the case, testified that she stopped by to have Mr. Mizell sign some paperwork. Mr. Mizell had a gun in his hand, which made her feel uncomfortable, she said.

She broke into the witness box several times while testifying that a man entered the studio, and Mr. Mizell stood up to greet him with a smile. But then Mr. Mizell shouted a curse, and she heard a shot.

Ms. High screamed and jumped to run for the door, but another gunman stopped her.

“It was Tinard,” she said, using Mr. Washington’s nickname.

She did not identify the gunman who fired, saying she only remembered that he was a light-skinned black man with a neck tattoo — a description that matched Mr. Jordan.

Sean Piccoli reporting contributed.