(AllHipHop News) One of the suspects accused of gunning down Jam Master Jay will stay put in prison, despite his fear of dying from the coronavirus.
Ronald “Tinard” Washington is one of two suspects indicted for the cold-blooded murder of Jam Master Jay inside of his Queens, New York recording studio on October 30th, 2002.
Washington is accused of setting up Jay’s murder after he was supposedly cut out of a drug deal, while Jordan is accused of being the triggerman who shot Jay at point-blank range.
Jordan has pleaded not guilty and is locked up in the MDC in New York and is currently being held without bail.
Washington was already serving a 17.5 year sentence at USP McCreary in Pine Knot, Kentucky, for a 2002 robbery spree which started around the time Jay was murdered.
Washington was supposed to get out of prison in 2022, but he applied for compassionate release in July before he was indicted for Jay’s murder.
Washington claimed he was at an elevated risk of dying because he has hepatitis C, in addition to hypertension and tuberculosis.
There was little chance the Feds would let Washington out of his prison sentence early, even before he was indicted for Jay’s murder.
But he is not getting out now that he is facing a life sentence, and possibly the death penalty for his involvement in the slaying.
“Defendant has a substantial history of violent crime spanning four decades that demonstrates that he continues to present a significant danger to the community at large if released to home confinement,” United States District Judge Nina Gershon said in a ruling made on August 29th.
Judge Gershon decided that Washington was just too dangerous to put back on the streets for any reason, citing his lengthy arrest record, and his penchant for violence as he serves out his prison sentence for the robberies.
“The seriousness of Washington’s criminal and disciplinary history weigh in favor of confirming the sentence as imposed, which was designed to promote respect for the law and to provide just punishment for the offense,” Judge Gershon said. “Moreover, his conviction, his disciplinary violations, and his pending prosecution demonstrate that Washington continues to present a danger to the community and a serious risk of recidivism.”
“Jay knew these guys since he was a kid,” a source told AllHipHop.com in a previous interview. “We all knew Tinard’s history, he was in and out of jail. He f##kin shot his own cousin and paralyzed him and put him in a wheelchair. We go in and out-of-town, and Jay’s cousin got Tinard living in Jay’s f##king crib. The crib Jay’s father left for him. He got Tinard living there. Jay wasn’t pleased and said ‘he gotta come up outta there.’
“They all know Tinard and whoever that shot Jay because he [Tinard] lived in [Jay’s] house,” the source continued, while revealing that the gun used to kill Jay may have been stolen from the same home in question.
