NEW YORK — In a significant development, nearly 25 years after the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay from the iconic group Run-DMC, a man has confessed in court to his involvement in the long-unsolved case that has perplexed investigators for years.

Jay Bryant has entered a guilty plea to a federal murder charge, acknowledging in court that he assisted others in gaining entry to a recording studio to set up an ambush on the DJ, whose real name was Jason Mizell.

“I was aware that a firearm would be used to shoot Jason Mizell,” Bryant stated to a federal magistrate. “I knew that my actions were wrong and constituted a crime.”

While Bryant’s confession provides a measure of closure, it also injects new layers of complexity into the already intricate case.

Bryant did not disclose the identities of his accomplices. However, in 2024, a jury found two other men, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, guilty. Yet, a judge later exonerated Jordan, leaving the case with unresolved elements.

Washington has also challenged his conviction. His lawyer, Susan Kellman, noted Monday that evidence against Bryant included his DNA on a hat at the crime scene and witness testimony that Bryant once claimed he fired the gun himself. Jordan’s lawyers declined to comment.

Bryant, 52, is expected to face a sentence somewhere between 15 and 20 years in prison for killing plus unrelated drug and gun charges to which he pleaded guilty earlier. No sentencing date has been set.

He gave a thumbs-up to someone in the audience before leaving court. The person declined to comment afterward, as did Bryant’s attorneys.

Prosecutors had no immediate comment.

Mizell handled the turntables in Run-DMC, a pathbreaking trio he formed with friends Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Joseph Simmons, known as DJ Run and Rev. Run.

With such 1980s hits as “It’s Tricky,” “My Adidas,” and a version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” they helped rap climb the ladder from an urban genre into mainstream popularity. Run-DMC was the first rap group with gold- and platinum-selling albums, a Rolling Stone cover, and a video on MTV. The trio was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Mizell also mentored other hip-hop artists, including a young 50 Cent.

At 37, Mizell was gunned down in his studio in the Queens neighborhood where he’d grown up. His October 2002 death followed the late 1990s killings of two other hip-hop greats, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. Authorities struggled with all three cases for years.

Jordan and Washington – Mizell’s godson and old friend, respectively – were arrested in 2020. Prosecutors said the men were bitter about losing out on a piece of a failed cocaine deal that Mizell had tried to line up. Though Run-DMC was known for its anti-drug message, prosecutors and a trial witness said the DJ moonlighted in the cocaine trade in his later years to cover his bills and keep being generous to friends after music money dried up somewhat.

According to prosecutors and trial witnesses, Jordan shot Mizell while Washington blocked the door during the shooting and ordered one of Mizell’s aides to get on the ground. Both men denied the allegations. Jordan’s attorneys said he was at his girlfriend’s home when the DJ was shot, and Washington’s lawyers said he had no incentive to kill the famous friend who helped him financially.

Nearly three years after their arrests, prosecutors abruptly brought Bryant into their picture of the killing.

Saying that Bryant’s DNA had been found on a hat in the studio and that he’d been seen entering the building, prosecutors added him to the murder indictment. He was already jailed on the drug and gun case.

Bryant knew someone in common with Jordan and Washington, according to testimony at their trial. But unlike them, Bryant had little, if any, connection to Mizell.

Bryant said in court Monday that he was connected with people who were involved in a cocaine deal with the DJ and that he “helped them kill Jason Mizell by helping them gain entry to the recording studio.”

Bryant’s uncle has said his nephew told him he shot Mizell after the artist reached for a gun. But no one else testified that Bryant even entered the studio.

Instead, prosecutors contended that Bryant was enlisted to make his way into the studio building and open a back fire door, allowing Washington and Jordan to walk in without buzzing up and alerting Mizell they were coming.

While neither Jordan’s nor Washington’s DNA was on the cap, then-prosecutor Artie McConnell suggested one of them had accidentally left it behind, and that Bryant had simply touched it at some point beforehand.

In another case, Texas authorities have apprehended an illegal migrant from Honduras on a Greyhound bus heading toward the southern border. This individual is connected to the brutal rape of a man behind a dumpster in New York, according to prosecutors.

The victim, who had been drinking and lost consciousness before the assault, was reportedly beaten and left for dead in a parking lot near the Esperanza Deli Cafe in Amityville.

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office reports that 32-year-old Jose Ignacio Bonilla Garcia first encountered the male victim inside the deli.

They exited the establishment around 4 a.m. on March 27, when the victim, heavily intoxicated, suddenly collapsed, authorities stated.

This Google Maps image shows the rear parking lot and the dumpster where Bonilla Garcia allegedly attacked an unidentified male victim. (Google Maps)

Surveillance video allegedly shows Bonilla Garcia drag the unconscious man behind a dumpster and sexually assault him.

The victim woke up in the middle of the attack, and Bonilla Garcia allegedly beat him unconscious once again with his fists and a wood plank, according to prosecutors, leaving him “bloodied and battered” on the ground before fleeing.

Jose Ignacio Bonilla Garcia, an illegal migrant from Honduras, is accused of raping a man who passed out at a New York deli before fleeing toward the southern border on a Greyhound Bus. U.S. Marshals arrested him in Texas, and he has since been extradited to New York to face charges including rape and assault. (Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office)

A delivery driver found the victim hours later and called 911.

The Esparanza Deli Cafe in Amityville, New York, where Bonilla Garcia allegedly met the victim. (Google Maps)

By the time police had identified Bonilla Garcia as a suspect, he had already fled the state on a bus. U.S. Marshals captured him in Rosenberg, Texas, however, allegedly headed toward the southern border.

He has since been extradited from Fort Bend County in Texas to New York and was arraigned Monday.

“Accountability for perpetrators of sexual violence is not just a legal obligation, but also a moral one,” Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. “My office will do everything in its power to ensure that those who commit such heinous acts are held accountable, not just for the sake of justice, but to protect others and to send a clear message that these crimes will not be tolerated in Suffolk County.”

Bonilla Garcia is being held without bail on two charges of first-degree rape and one of felony assault. He’s due back in court on May 28.

The suspect faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer to have him deported after the case plays out.

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Amid heightened security and intense political atmosphere, King Charles III and Queen Camilla commenced their official four-day visit to the nation’s capital on Monday.

President Donald Trump, alongside First Lady Melania Trump, extended a warm welcome to the royal couple at the White House that afternoon.

Despite ongoing West Wing renovations and increased security measures following the alarming incident at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the royals were graciously received. The First Lady impressed with her fashion choice, wearing a buttercream double-breasted wool crepe suit paired with Manolo snake pumps.

President Trump greeted King Charles with a firm handshake, while the First Lady exchanged friendly cheek kisses with Queen Camilla.

Their meeting continued with a traditional tea service held in the opulent surroundings of the White House’s Green Room.

Her Majesty had changed out of her pink Dior coat dress into a white chiffon dress with black beaded embroidery by Anna Valentine.

The couples then swapped, Melania being kissed on each cheek by the King, as she leaned down to reach him, while President Trump and the Queen shook hands.

He then touched her lightly on the shoulder and invited her to stand next to him for a photograph.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they arrive at the White House

Reporters stood on the White House’s South Lawn to photograph the powerful couples

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at Joint Base Andrews just outside of Washington, DC

The royals were greeted by US Chief of Protocol Monica Crowley after landing

Behind the smiles and handshakes, however, a bitter diplomatic storm is brewing over NATO and the ongoing war in Ukraine

Trump pointed to the floor and asked His Majesty to stand next to his wife.

As the cameras clicked, they made convivial small talk, Mr Trump pointing out some landmarks, including, it is believed, a tree planted by his mother, Queen Elizabeth, when she visited in 1991.

Melania beamed at King Charles before her husband invited them inside for tea and to view the White House beehives.

Arriving exactly two and a half centuries after his ancestor King George III lost the American colonies, the 77–year–old monarch steps onto US soil at a highly volatile juncture for the ‘special relationship.’

The glittering pomp of the tour – designed to honor America’s 250th anniversary of independence – is unfolding under a large security blanket following Saturday’s terrifying shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

With Trump in attendance at the event, the incident triggered an urgent 11th–hour security review of the King’s itinerary.

Addressing the weekend scare, Buckingham Palace released a statement saying the King was ‘greatly relieved to hear that the president, first lady and all guests have been unharmed.’

King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped off the plane for their first-ever state visit to the US as monarchs. 

After leaving the airport, Their Majesties arrived at and briefly retired to Blair House, the beautiful guest house adjacent to the US leader’s official residence they will be staying in for the duration of their four-day visit.

They were driven the short journey to the South Lawn by car and a heavily armed security detail, where the Trumps were waiting for them outside the iconic White Portico.

The couple had walked out moments earlier, just before the car – bearing the monarch’s standard and the American flag – pulled in.

Behind the smiles and handshakes, however, a bitter diplomatic storm is brewing. 

The King’s visit comes as a furious Trump continues to slam UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his refusal to back US military operations in Iran.

In a stinging rebuke, Trump recently dismissed the British leader as ‘not Winston Churchill’ – ironically, the very WWII icon who created the term ‘special relationship.’

The President’s upset hasn’t been limited to Downing Street; he has broadened his attacks to include other NATO allies, branding them ‘cowards’ and ‘useless’ for avoiding the Iran conflict.

Yet, Trump insists this deep political freeze will not cast a shadow over his royal guests this week.

Speaking in March, he made it clear the monarch ‘has nothing to do with that,’ deliberately distancing Charles from the NATO disputes.

Instead, the President has enthusiastically praised the King, repeatedly calling him a ‘friend’ and a ‘great guy.’

A major historic milestone will take place on Tuesday when King Charles addresses a joint meeting of Congress

The King’s visit comes as the President has consistently lobbed harsh critiques at Prime Minister Keir Starmer

While Charles has visited the US 19 times, this marks his first official state visit to the country since ascending the throne in 2022

When asked by the BBC if the state visit could help mend the fractured US–UK bond, Trump was overwhelmingly positive. 

‘He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely, the answer is yes,’ the President said. 

Trump also frequently boasts about his own ‘amazing’ trip to the UK last September with Melania for a second state visit, complete with guardsmen, brass bands and a lavish Windsor Castle banquet.

Now playing host, the President and First Lady have arranged a packed schedule for the King.

Queen Camilla is seen arriving to meet President Trump on Monday afternoon, stepping from her car as the state visit commences in Washington. 

Queen Camilla and King Charles greet President Trump and the First Lady on the White House driveway as they arrive for a state visit.

The couple’s itinerary includes a private tea, a tour of the White House beehives, a one–on–one meeting between the President and the King, a sprawling garden party and a glamorous state dinner.

A major historic milestone will take place on Tuesday when Charles addresses a joint meeting of Congress. 

He will be only the second British monarch to ever do so, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who addressed lawmakers in 1991.

While Charles has visited the US 19 times, this marks his first official state visit to the country since ascending the throne in 2022.

Prime Minister Starmer stood firm in defending this royal meeting as a vital diplomatic tool. He insisted that ‘the monarchy, through the bonds that it builds, is often able to reach through the decades’ to strengthen crucial international alliances.

A shocking new report has emerged, alleging that several young men were drugged and sexually assaulted at Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch. The detailed account includes accusations ranging from murder to the forced separation of babies from their mothers at Epstein’s notorious estate in New Mexico.

US Representative Melanie Stanley (D-NM) shared with “60 Minutes Australia” in a recent segment that, “A man claims he encountered Jeffrey Epstein and was taken to the ranch, where he was drugged,” as reported by the Sun.

Stanley further explained, “He provides a detailed account of the scene where multiple young men were assaulted at the ranch right in front of him after he was incapacitated with drugs.” Stanley, a prominent voice for Epstein’s victims, has been outspoken about these disturbing allegations.

“Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were habitual offenders, true super predators in every sense, and this was simply a way of life for them,” she stated.

Although it remains unclear how Stanley acquired such detailed information about the alleged incidents, her revelations coincide with an ongoing, unprecedented investigation into Zorro Ranch. This probe marks a significant effort in her state following Epstein’s 2019 death in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was held on charges of sex trafficking.

The probe was sparked in part by anonymous 2019 allegations that Epstein and Maxwell strangled women to death during “rough fetish sex” and buried them on the ranch — accusations that resurfaced with the release earlier this year of the tranche of files from the FBI’s investigation into the disgraced financier.

“That particular tip [of men raped] matched the pattern of other abuse and transport and trafficking of women,” Stanley said. “And that’s why it raised alarm bells for me.

“There’s certainly hundreds of allegations of women who experienced really dark experiences,” she said. “So I think we’re really dedicated to getting to the bottom of the truth of what happened in New Mexico and on that property.”

One of Epstein’s accusers, Chauntae Davies — who was photographed giving former President Bill Clinton a shoulder massage — told “60 Minutes” she spent countless hours feeling like “like a mouse in a trap” at Zorro Ranch.

“There was a lot of time being in my room like a mouse in a trap waiting for a knock on the door and for someone to say, “Jeffrey is ready for his massage now,’ ” she told the program, before explaining what that meant for her.

“Rape, full on, forced on sexual rape,” she said.

Davies also recounted stories of girls waking up at Zorro Ranch with doctors leering over them after having unknown medical procedures performed on them.

“There is another account of a baby actually being born, and Ghislaine taking it,” she said. “I remember overhearing conversations about creating the perfect baby from the perfect gene pool.”

Similar allegations — that Epstein wanted to turn Zorro into some kind of baby farm to build his twisted idea of a master race — first surfaced after his 2019 arrest.

“Zorro Ranch was probably the most eerie [place], just giant and quiet and literally in the middle of nowhere, and miles and miles of just mountains and dirt for miles,” Davies said.

She questioned whether the full truth of what happened at Zorro will ever come out.

“Whoever it is that is covering up has gone to great lengths to make sure it stays covered up,” she said. “I don’t think there will ever be a full disclosure of it all.”

Zorro Ranch was never fully searched after the federal government ordered New Mexico authorities to “stand down” in 2019 because there was no “probably cause” to search the ranch.

Lawmakers such as Stanley are hoping to change that, telling 60 Minutes Australia she intends to make “Epstein files into Epstein trials.”

The FBI has intensified efforts in the search for a missing Southern California grandfather, turning the case into a kidnapping investigation. This development is intertwined with a complex network of fraud, impersonation, and the suspected targeting of cryptocurrency assets.

Nai Ping Hou, aged 74, went missing in March 2025 from his home in Rancho Cucamonga, with his disappearance officially reported weeks later on May 4.

Federal authorities have raised suspicions of foul play, especially since Hou’s bank accounts were drained prior to the official notification of his disappearance.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department initially categorized the situation as a suspicious disappearance. However, new evidence has led detectives to believe it may involve an abduction.

Hou’s son, Wen Hou, recounted that the last time he saw his father was during a fishing trip in March, just days before he vanished.

“He was in a very good mood,” Wen Hou told KTLA. “He caught a lot of fish. His friends were there, too. He was very happy.”

The family of Naiping Hou is offering a $250,000 reward as police investigate his suspicious disappearance involving identity theft and impersonation. (findnaipinghou.com)

But weeks later, subtle changes raised alarm.

“[Always saying] he’s tired or he’ll call me later, just reasons that were strange,” he said. “He had very short responses and didn’t share photos anymore.”

Wen Hou said the moment it truly set in came when his father stopped answering calls altogether and sent an unusually cold message on his birthday.

“It’s surreal to think someone could be impersonating my dad through text,” he previously told KABC.

The family said that’s when they realized something was seriously wrong and grew deeply concerned for his safety.

When friends went to check on Hou’s home in early May, they found it had been completely cleared out.

The family of Naiping Hou, a missing man from Rancho Cucamonga, fears his disappearance is linked to their cryptocurrency success after more than $1 million was drained from his accounts. (San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office)

“Something really bizarre is going on,” Wen Hou said. “The place was completely cleared out. No people, no vehicles, not even garbage left behind.”

Investigators later confirmed “extensive fraudulent activity” in Hou’s bank accounts around the time of his disappearance. More than $1 million was drained through unauthorized transactions, including purchases of gold and cryptocurrency.

“His money was also gone,” Wen Hou said. “Funds were being transferred out to purchase gold online. He’s not tech-savvy at all, so I don’t know how he could’ve done any of that himself.”

Authorities say Hou’s vehicles were also sold and there was an apparent attempt to rent out his home.

Hou’s wife was out of the country visiting family in China at the time he vanished and received unusual messages from his phone, including one suggesting she delay returning home.

While investigators have not confirmed a motive, the family has told KABC they fear Hou may have been targeted because of their financial success in cryptocurrency. Wen Hou is a hedge fund executive who has invested heavily in the space.

“I miss him dearly,” Wen Hou said. “He’s always been a guiding presence in my life.”

“We’re really worried, and we really want my dad back,” he added.

Hou is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and about 170 pounds, with dark hair and a birthmark on his upper left shoulder. He also has a surgery scar on his lower back. He has not been seen or heard from since March 2025.

Investigators are seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris in connection with Naiping Hou’s disappearance in San Bernardino County. (San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office)

Investigators are also seeking information about a silver Toyota Yaris believed to be connected to the case.

The Hou family has launched a dedicated website to raise awareness, share photos and collect tips. The site includes a video message in which Wen Hou makes an emotional plea for his father’s safe return.

A reward of up to $250,000 is being offered for information leading to Hou’s safe return or the arrest of those responsible.

Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department or the FBI.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Senator John Fetterman issued a striking critique of his own Democratic Party, urging members to abandon what he referred to as ‘TDS’ and support President Trump’s plan for a White House ballroom.

Fetterman’s comments emerged following a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, an event he attended.

“The current leader of the Democratic Party is suffering from TDS,” remarked the Pennsylvania senator, as he spoke about the so-called ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’ He emphasized, “Our nation needs and deserves this ballroom.”

The term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ has been popularized by Trump supporters to describe what they perceive as an overly intense and irrational opposition to the former president.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also weighed in, expressing agreement with Fetterman’s stance and calling for unity after the attack during a media appearance on Monday morning.

‘After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these,’ Fetterman advocated.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is an annual Washington, DC event put on by the White House Correspondents’ Association, not by the White House itself.

The dinner has grown to over 2,600 attendees in the over 100 years since the first event in 1921. Moving the dinner to a venue other than the Hilton would have to be approved by the Association, and is not a decision made solely by the White House.

US Senator John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, walks following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC, US, April 25, 2026

The demolition of the East Wing of the White House during construction of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed ballroom is seen from the reopened Washington Monument, following the longest shutdown of the government in Washington, DC, US, November 15, 2025

A projection of what the White House Ballroom could look like after completion

President Trump told NBC in a 2025 interview that the new ballroom currently under construction would have a capacity for approximately 900 guests. 

A document from the National Capital Planning Commission presented in March of this year notes that the approximately 22,000 square-foot ballroom ‘is designed to accommodate approximately a thousand seated guests at a formal dinner.’

Speaking with the Daily Mail on Monday, Fetterman added that ‘we just need to put our respective biases away, and for me this, this is before the country’s interest not even the party’s interest,’ he said of the ballroom.

‘Trump won’t even be President to use the facility,’ he noted, referencing current projected construction timelines, before adding that ‘it’s about the facility that will be used for countless presidents after that.’

President Donald Trump’s $400 million White House ballroom project was temporarily halted at the start of April by a federal judge.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued the Trump administration following the destruction last autumn of the White House’s East Wing, arguing that Trump required Congressional approval before making such sweeping changes to the building.

Fetterman also noted that he has voted multiple times to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service. 

The House has passed a comprehensive DHS funding package, but the Senate has repeatedly failed to follow suit despite Republican efforts – the bill requires a 60-vote threshold to pass. Fetterman also joined New Mexico’s Martin Heinrich in crossing party lines to back the nomination of DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, confirmed 54-45 in March.

On the wider security failings laid bare on Saturday night, Fetterman told the Daily Mail: ‘Imagine if it was Iran, imagine if this was some organization with some resources,’ rather than the seemingly lone gunman who struck that evening.

Shattered glass lies on a staircase near the ballroom at the Washington Hilton hotel, where a shooting incident occurred at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington, DC, US, April 26, 2026

President Donald Trump takes questions from media at a press briefing at the White House, following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington, DC, US, April 25, 2026

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a teacher from Torrance, California, was caught on camera attempting to bolt past a security checkpoint armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives. 

He exchanged fire with Secret Service agents before being tackled and arrested. One agent was struck in his bulletproof vest and is expected to recover. Nobody else was hurt.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner – the annual black-tie gala uniting politicians and journalists – had barely begun when shots rang out and the Secret Service sprang into action. 

Trump later released surveillance footage showing Allen, dressed in black, sprinting through the hotel gun in hand before being rushed by armed guards.

Journalists inside the room photographed top administration officials being hurried to safety. 

Video showed Vice President JD Vance being frantically escorted off stage, while Trump and Melania ducked for cover before agents pulled the President away. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and his wife Cheryl Hines were pictured running in a crouch, with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and his wife Katie Miller close behind. Speaker Johnson was also briskly escorted out.

Within an hour, Trump addressed reporters at a West Wing briefing. ‘It’s always shocking when something like this happens,’ he said. 

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, is thought to have been targeting members of the Trump administration when he charged into the ballroom at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night. He is pictured after he was tackled to the ground and arrested

Harrowing surveillance footage captured the moment gun-wielding shooter Cole Tomas Allen stormed past security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

An agent is seen drawing his gun and shouting after gunshots were heard at the dinner 

‘I heard a noise and kinda thought it was a tray going down.’ He added that Melania had immediately recognised it as a ‘bad noise’ and that it had been ‘a rather traumatic experience for her.’ ‘Melania was very cognizant,’ he said – and shared her fear for his safety given the multiple assassination attempts he has survived.

Federal prosecutors charged Allen with three federal crimes on Monday, including the attempted assassination of the President. 

He faces up to 20 years on the assault charge; the firearm counts carry a mandatory minimum of ten years and could extend to life imprisonment, depending on whether the weapon was discharged and the severity of the underlying offence.