Vybz Kartel during The Official Welcome Back Concert - Backstage at Nassau Coliseum in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Vybz Kartel caught a major W in a London court on March 14. A judge overturned the Jamaican dancehall artist’s murder conviction.
For context, per Reuters, Kartel — real name Adidja 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.
The Kingston trial lasted 64 days, marking “one of the longest in Jamaican history,” per Reuters. His murder conviction resulted in a sentence of life in prison with a minimum of 35 years behind bars. The court reduced the minimum to 32.5 years after 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 he was in a cell that resembled a “brick oven” for at least 23 hours daily. The cell allegedly had “no circulation,” no water, and a bucket for a toilet.
A private physician who examined the artist recommended surgery as treatment “as soon as possible.”
“His neck was swollen, if you think of a shirt that is about 18.5 inches in the neck area, you couldn’t close the collar on his neck, and that’s how bad it is in this moment. His face is actually swollen. And one other thing. He always wears glasses; in this condition, that causes his eyes to protrude,” a Fox 5 New York report claimed.
As for their now-overturned sentence, Kartel and his co-defendants filed their last possible appeal last month in London’s Privy Council.
Their lawyers argued the trial judge wrongly handled allegations that one juror offered 500,000 Jamaican dollars (around $3,200) to fellow 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 continue on the jury was “fatal to the safety of the convictions.”
So what’s next? The Privy Council sent the case back to the Court of Appeal in Jamaica. That court will decide whether Kartel and his co-defendants should stand trial again.
Authorities have not revealed any release information.
Reuters reporter Sam Tobin contributed to this report.
