Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay was slain in "an ambush" fueled "by greed and revenge," US prosecutors told jurors Monday, as defense lawyers cast doubt on available evidence in the trial over the alleged murder carried out 20 years ago.

The trial, to be decided by an anonymous jury in Brooklyn federal court, is centered on the events of October 30, 2002, when the pioneering rap music star Jason "Jay" Mizell, widely known by his DJ moniker, was fatally shot in the head in his studio in Queens.

He was 37 years old and a father of three.

The murder remained a cold case until federal prosecutors in August 2020 announced a 10-count indictment against suspects Ronald Washington, now 59, and Karl Jordan Jr., the alleged shooter, who is now 40.

Both men appeared in court sharply dressed -- Jordan in a blue vest over a white shirt with a striped tie, Washington in a black blazer -- listening as the jury was sworn in and the prosecution opened.

Mizell, Jordan and Washington all hailed from Hollis, Queens, where the DJ kept a music studio even as his fame soared with Run-DMC hits........

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