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Jury selection begins in trial for 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay in Queens

Jury selection in trial for Jam Master Jay's murder starts
Jury selection in trial for Jam Master Jay's murder starts 01:27

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NEW YORK -- Jury selection in the trial of two men charged with murdering hip hop legend Jam Master Jay got underway in federal court in Brooklyn on Monday. 

Fans and loved ones alike hope this is another step on the long road to justice since the Run-DMC DJ's killing nearly 22 years ago. 

Jason Mizell, known to the world as Jam Master Jay, was shot inside his recording studio in Hollis, Queens in 2002. 

Eighteen years later, police arrested Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Junior

Investigators said Washington and Jordan devised a plan to murder Mizell after he cut them out of a cocaine trafficking deal. 

Chuck Jigsaw Creekmur, CEO of AllHipHop.com, predicts hip hop fans nationwide will be glued to the trial. 

"I think that having this sort of closure is an act of relief, also painful. You know, he has, we have since seen his brother pass away, and we've seen others have passed away and have not been able to have that closure. So it's another one of those open wounds that hip hop has and that people have," said Creekmur. 

Jury selection could take days, but opening statements are scheduled to begin Jan. 29. 

 A third suspect in Mizell's murder, Jay Bryant, is expected to face a trial later this year. He is currently behind bars on unrelated charges. 

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