Vybz Kartel caught a big W in a London court on March 14. A judge has overturned the murder conviction of the Jamaican dancehall artist.
For context, by ReutersKartel – real name Adja Palmer — has been in prison since 2011. His conviction is linked to the disappearance of a former associate named Clive’ Lizard’ Williams. To this day, police have not been able to locate Clive’s body.
Details about Vybz Kartel’s 2014 conviction
Kingston’s trial lasted 64 days, marking “one of the longest in Jamaican history,” according to Reuters. His murder conviction resulted in a life sentence with a minimum of 35 years in prison. The court reduced the minimum to 32.5 years following a separate appeal.
In May 2023, news broke that Vybz Kartel was battling “life-threatening” Graves’ disease and heart condition. His lawyer at the time claimed that he was in a cell that resembled a “brick oven” for at least 23 hours a day. The cell allegedly had “no circulation”, no water and a bucket as a toilet.
A private doctor who examined the artist recommended surgery as the “fastest possible” treatment.
“His neck was swollen, if you think about a shirt that is about 18.5 centimeters in the neck area, you couldn’t close the collar around his neck, and that’s how bad it is at the moment. His face is really swollen. And one more thing. He always wears glasses; In this condition, it causes his eyes to bulge out,” The Fox 5 New York claimed report.
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What’s next for the Dancehall star?
As for the now overturned sentence, Kartel and his co-defendants filed the last possible appeal last month at the Privy Council in London.
His lawyers argued that the trial judge mishandled allegations that a juror offered 500,000 Jamaican dollars (about $3,200) to other jurors to return not guilty verdicts.
As mentioned, Judge David Lloyd-Jones allowed the defendants’ appeals on Thursday. Lloyd-Jones said the trial judge’s decision to allow the juror who allegedly offered bribes to remain on the jury was “fatal to the safety of the convictions.”
So what comes next? The Privy Council sent the case back to the Jamaica Court of Appeal. That court will decide whether Kartel and his co-defendants should be retried.
Authorities have not revealed any launch information.
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Reuters reporter Sam Tobin contributed to this report.