Ronald “Tinard “ Washington, a suspect in the murder of RUN DMC member Jam Master Jay, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a spree of robberies yesterday (April 23).

Jam Master Jay was shot and killed in a Queens, New York recording studio in 2002. Federal authorities believe that Washington was one of two men who stormed in the studio and killed the iconic deejay.

According to The New York Daily News, federal prosecutors wanted the judge to hand Washington a harsher sentence for his alleged involvement in the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay.

Prosecutors also claimed that Washington, 40, confessed his role in Jam Master Jay’s murder to a former girlfriend.

Brooklyn federal Judge Nina Gershon refused to consider the murders in her decision and chose to stick 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.

Washington, who committed six armed robberies, has publicly denied any involvement in the murder.