Karl Jordan Jr. could soon walk free after a federal judge granted him a $1 million bond.
During a hearing in Brooklyn on Monday, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ruled that Jordan, 42, may be released while prosecutors decide whether to appeal her decision.
“There’s a real chance, Mr. Jordan, that you may be released in the very near term,” Hall told him in court.
Jordan was convicted in 2024 in the killing of Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell. But in December, Hall overturned the conviction, ruling prosecutors failed to prove the shooting was connected to drug trafficking, a key part of the federal case.
Jam Master Jay was one-third of Run-DMC, the pioneering rap trio behind songs like “It’s Tricky” and “Walk This Way” and the group helped bring hip-hop into the mainstream in the 1980s.
Prosecutors claimed Jordan shot Mizell inside the rapper’s Queens recording studio in 2002 after a dispute involving a drug deal. An eyewitness identified Jordan as the gunman during the trial.
Seventeen relatives and friends agreed to back Jordan’s release package by putting up homes and other assets as collateral.
“At the end of the day, bond is about you giving me your word,” Hall said.
“I’m aware of that,” Jordan replied.