The ruling came in response to an attempt by federal prosecutors to introduce lyrics penned by Karl Jordan Jr. as evidence of his role in gunning down Jay, a pioneering artist whose birth name was Jason Mizell.
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay can’t have his rap lyrics used against him
In her ruling on Tuesday, Hall wrote that courts should be “wary” about allowing the use of hip-hop lyrics against criminal defendants because “artists should be free to create without fear that their lyrics could be unfairly used against them at a trial.”
She said there could be specific exceptions in cases where lyrics discuss the precise details of a particular crime.
Jordan and an accomplice, Ronald Washington, are accused of confronting Mizell in his recording studio in 2002, then shooting him in the head. The prosecution argues it was an act of revenge for cutting them out of a drug deal.
The killing had frustrated investigators for decades, but prosecutors said they made key strides in the case over the last five years, conducting new interviews and ballistic tests and getting witnesses to cooperate.
Defense lawyers have claimed the government dragged its feet in indicting Washington and Jordan, making it harder for them to defend themselves.
Both men have pleaded not guilty, as has a third defendant who was charged this past May and will be tried separately.
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The post Rap lyrics can’t be used against artist charged with killing Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, judge rules appeared first on TheGrio.
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