Jamaican dancehall star Adidja Palmer, popularly known as Vybz Kartel, has been released from prison after serving 12 years for a murder conviction that was later overturned.
Kartel, along with three other men – Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Andre St John, and Kahira Jones – was accused of murdering Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams in 2011. They were originally convicted in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison. However, their convictions were overturned by the Privy Council in March 2024 due to juror misconduct.
The Court of Appeal of Jamaica decided against a retrial on Wednesday, marking the end of a nearly 13-year legal battle that has gripped the country. Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, the newly appointed President of the Court of Appeal, led the panel of judges that delivered the decision.
While Kartel, Campbell, and St John are now free men, Jones will remain in custody due to a sentence in an unrelated case.
Vybz Kartel celebrated his freedom by sharing a clip of himself with his wife on Wednesday night, captioning it “Am out! Me and wifey.”
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