DJ_Skrilla
04-18-2007, 08:03 PM
April 16th, 2007
A convict has been identified by a witness who says the inmate confessed to his part in the 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) and the unsolved murder of a close associate of Tupac Shakur, according to the Boston Herald.
This information emerged during the federal robbery trial of 43-year-old Ronald “Tenad” Washington, this month.
“They want to blame me for all the blood in rap,” Washington said in an interview. “They are trying to pen me up for these murders.”
Washington has denied allegations of involvement in either slaying, however he was convicted on April 5 of six armed robberies and holdups he committed in November 2002, a few weeks after Jam Master Jay’s murder.
“It’s all lies. She’s telling them that I was mad at Jay because he is doing better than I am, that I killed Stretch because he owed me something and I wanted it. She’s making up lies because they threatened to deport her,” Washington said.
The witness, whose name is being withheld, did not return phone calls.
Washington is expected to be named in the Mizell and Walker cases when the federal government unveils a sweeping indictment charging multiple rap artists of several violent acts said law enforcement sources.
“Ronald Washington is a bad, bad guy,” said a source. “He is a key player in this rap industry case.”
Studio receptionist, Lydia High, is another witness who has been under police protection since telling investigators that Washington forced her face down on the floor as a second man shot Mizell in the head.
Washington claims he was at the studio that day because Mizell has asked him for protection saying, “I’m not the nicest guy in the world. People around here know that.”
Feds name suspect in 2002 slaying of Jam Master Jay
Federal prosecutors have alleged that a low-level career bandit may hold the key to one of the more high-profile mysteries of the hip-hop world: Who killed rap pioneer
Jam Master Jay?
In court papers, the prosecutors identify Ronald "Tenad" Washington as the armed
accomplice of a second unidentified gunman who shot Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, inside his Queens recording studio in 2002. They say Washington also is a suspect in the fatal shooting in 1995 of Randy Walker, a close associate of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
The papers were filed earlier this month in the federal trial of Washington, who was
convicted in a string of armed robberies that occurred just after Jay was killed. Prosecutors declined today to discuss the unsolved slayings.
A Mizell family spokeswoman welcomed news that authorities had for the first time publicly identified a suspect.
"We're relieved there's some information coming out, although we understand that it's not the full story," said the spokeswoman, Fern Yates.
Washington, 45, has denied any connection to either the Mizell or Walker cases. In a sworn statement, he claimed hostile detectives from the 103rd Precinct in Queens had unjustly hounded him about the slaying of his "childhood friend" Mizell and other crimes.
"There have been many incidents where I was harassed and even assaulted by officers from the 103rd Precinct," he wrote in the statement.
Washington's criminal record dates to 1982, and includes convictions for assault, drugs and grand larceny, authorities said.
During the 1980s, Mizell made rap music history working the turntables as Joe "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels rapped on hits like "King of Rock," "It's Tricky" and a Top 40 remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."
Mizell was gunned down on Oct. 30, 2002 at the 24/7 recording studio. According to a performer there, a man wearing a black sweatsuit appeared, embraced Mizell, pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and opened fire.
A first round missed Mizell and injured another person. A second bullet, this one fired from point-blank range, entered the left side of Mizell's head. The shooter vanished.
For his part, Washington "pointed his gun at those present in the studio, ordered them to get on the ground and provided cover for his associate to shoot and kill Jason Mizell," prosecutors said in court papers.
While being sought for questioning in the Mizell case, Washington fled Queens to Long Island and lived in various motels, authorities said. He held up several fast food restaurants and other businesses with a pellet gun before his arrest in December 2002.
Prosecutors claim Washington was among three men involved in a fatal car chase with another hip-hop figure — Walker — on Nov. 30, 1995. The suspect allegedly fired a gun out a car window, killing Walker and causing his minivan to crash.
Walker had performed with the group Live Squad under the name Stretch. He also was known for producing several songs for 2Pac Shakur, the victim of an unsolved murder in 1996 in Las Vegas.
A convict has been identified by a witness who says the inmate confessed to his part in the 2002 murder of Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell) and the unsolved murder of a close associate of Tupac Shakur, according to the Boston Herald.
This information emerged during the federal robbery trial of 43-year-old Ronald “Tenad” Washington, this month.
“They want to blame me for all the blood in rap,” Washington said in an interview. “They are trying to pen me up for these murders.”
Washington has denied allegations of involvement in either slaying, however he was convicted on April 5 of six armed robberies and holdups he committed in November 2002, a few weeks after Jam Master Jay’s murder.
“It’s all lies. She’s telling them that I was mad at Jay because he is doing better than I am, that I killed Stretch because he owed me something and I wanted it. She’s making up lies because they threatened to deport her,” Washington said.
The witness, whose name is being withheld, did not return phone calls.
Washington is expected to be named in the Mizell and Walker cases when the federal government unveils a sweeping indictment charging multiple rap artists of several violent acts said law enforcement sources.
“Ronald Washington is a bad, bad guy,” said a source. “He is a key player in this rap industry case.”
Studio receptionist, Lydia High, is another witness who has been under police protection since telling investigators that Washington forced her face down on the floor as a second man shot Mizell in the head.
Washington claims he was at the studio that day because Mizell has asked him for protection saying, “I’m not the nicest guy in the world. People around here know that.”
Feds name suspect in 2002 slaying of Jam Master Jay
Federal prosecutors have alleged that a low-level career bandit may hold the key to one of the more high-profile mysteries of the hip-hop world: Who killed rap pioneer
Jam Master Jay?
In court papers, the prosecutors identify Ronald "Tenad" Washington as the armed
accomplice of a second unidentified gunman who shot Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, inside his Queens recording studio in 2002. They say Washington also is a suspect in the fatal shooting in 1995 of Randy Walker, a close associate of the late rapper Tupac Shakur.
The papers were filed earlier this month in the federal trial of Washington, who was
convicted in a string of armed robberies that occurred just after Jay was killed. Prosecutors declined today to discuss the unsolved slayings.
A Mizell family spokeswoman welcomed news that authorities had for the first time publicly identified a suspect.
"We're relieved there's some information coming out, although we understand that it's not the full story," said the spokeswoman, Fern Yates.
Washington, 45, has denied any connection to either the Mizell or Walker cases. In a sworn statement, he claimed hostile detectives from the 103rd Precinct in Queens had unjustly hounded him about the slaying of his "childhood friend" Mizell and other crimes.
"There have been many incidents where I was harassed and even assaulted by officers from the 103rd Precinct," he wrote in the statement.
Washington's criminal record dates to 1982, and includes convictions for assault, drugs and grand larceny, authorities said.
During the 1980s, Mizell made rap music history working the turntables as Joe "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels rapped on hits like "King of Rock," "It's Tricky" and a Top 40 remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."
Mizell was gunned down on Oct. 30, 2002 at the 24/7 recording studio. According to a performer there, a man wearing a black sweatsuit appeared, embraced Mizell, pulled out a .40-caliber pistol and opened fire.
A first round missed Mizell and injured another person. A second bullet, this one fired from point-blank range, entered the left side of Mizell's head. The shooter vanished.
For his part, Washington "pointed his gun at those present in the studio, ordered them to get on the ground and provided cover for his associate to shoot and kill Jason Mizell," prosecutors said in court papers.
While being sought for questioning in the Mizell case, Washington fled Queens to Long Island and lived in various motels, authorities said. He held up several fast food restaurants and other businesses with a pellet gun before his arrest in December 2002.
Prosecutors claim Washington was among three men involved in a fatal car chase with another hip-hop figure — Walker — on Nov. 30, 1995. The suspect allegedly fired a gun out a car window, killing Walker and causing his minivan to crash.
Walker had performed with the group Live Squad under the name Stretch. He also was known for producing several songs for 2Pac Shakur, the victim of an unsolved murder in 1996 in Las Vegas.