Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel was released from prison late last week after successfully appealing a 2014 murder conviction. Kartel, whose legal name is Adidja Azim Palmer, had been imprisoned since 2011 after being arrested on murder charges related to the death of his associate Clive “Lizard” Williams. Then, after being convicted in March 2014, he was officially sentenced to 35 years in prison alongside three other associates — Andre St. John, Shawn Campbell and Kahira Jones — with a key piece of evidence used by the prosecution during the 65-day trial being a text message police alleged finding on Kartel’s phone that alluded to chopping Williams’ remains up into a “mincemeat.”
However, in March of this year, the UK-based Privy Council, Jamaica’s top court, tossed out all four men’s convictions due to juror misconduct. In 2014, one of the jurors who sat on Kartel’s trial was accused of offering bribes up to J$500,000 (approximately $3,200 USD) to other jurors who would be willing to find Kartel and his associates guilty. At the time, the co-defendants’ lawyers argued that the judge presiding over the trial had made mistakes in handling the allegations, but their original appeal seemingly went nowhere.
After erasing the aforementioned convictions, the Privy Council asked Jamaica’s Court of Appeals to determine whether a new trial should be held. This past Wednesday, a three-judge panel announced that a retrial was not merited, meaning all four men would walk free. “We conclude that the interests of justice do not require a new trial,” Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop said during a live stream of the court hearing.
Kartel’s release set off a celebration among his fans, who mobbed his attorney Isat Buchanan outside a courthouse in Kingston after the conviction was overturned. “Justice has finally been served,” Kartel said in a statement. “I have always maintained my innocence, and today, the truth has set me free. I thank my legal team, my family, and my fans for their unwavering support.”
