Jam Master Jay was shot and killed at age 37 on October 30, 2002, in his recording studio in Queens, New York. The crime remained unsolved for nearly two decades, before the two suspects were indicted in 2020.

Prosecutors relied on two witnesses who kept silent for a long time, for fear of reprisals. The trial revealed a darker side of the DJ, whose real name is Jason Mizell, who got involved in drug trafficking to support his lifestyle and that of his loved ones.