Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel has had his conviction for murder overturned by the Privy Council in London. The 48-year-old, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, was serving a life sentence for the killing of Clive “Lizard” Williams on the Caribbean island in 2014.
The successful appeal argued that a juror accused of attempting to bribe others should have been removed from Kartel’s trial. Following the decision, authorities in Jamaica will now decide whether to retry the case.
Kartel, known as one of Jamaica’s most popular artists, has collaborated with international performers such as Jay-Z and Rihanna. His original trial, lasting 64 days, culminated in a minimum sentence of 35 years, later reduced to 32-and-a-half years.
The trial revealed that victim Clive Williams and another man, Lamar Chow, were entrusted with two unlicensed firearms belonging to Kartel. When they failed to return the weapons as agreed, they were allegedly summoned to Kartel’s residence in August 2011. According to prosecutors, they were attacked, resulting in Williams being fatally injured.
Despite maintaining their innocence throughout the proceedings, Kartel and his co-accused Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John faced the consequences of the original trial until this recent turn of events.
The overturning of Vybz Kartel’s conviction marks a significant development in one of Jamaica’s most high-profile criminal cases, raising questions about the judicial process and reigniting debate over the justice system in the Caribbean nation.
