A suspect in the slaying of hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a spree of robberies.
Federal prosecutors wanted the judge to slam Ronald (Tinard) Washington with a more severe sentence by factoring in the unsolved murder of the Run DMC rapper, as well as a previous killing Washington allegedly committed in 1995.
Brooklyn Federal Judge Nina Gershon declined to consider the murders in her decision and stuck to the sentence recommended by federal guidelines.
"One might think if it was such an overwhelming [murder] case, someone would have prosecuted him, instead of hanging a murder on a string of robberies with a BBgun," Gershon said.
Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was shot in his Hollis, Queens music studio on Oct. 30, 2002.
According to court papers, Washington and an unidentified accomplice entered the studio and Washington "pointed his gun at those present ... ordered them to get on the ground, and provided cover for his associate to shoot and kill Jason Mizell."
Washington, 40, a career criminal, confessed his role to a former girlfriend. He has not been charged with the murder.
His defense lawyer Susan Kellman argued that after investigating the rapper's murder for years, the feds have come up with nothing more than "gossip."
"If the government had a case, they'd bring it," Kellman said. "The reality is, they have no idea who [killed Jam Master Jay]."
