King of Jamaican Dancehall, Vybz Kartel and his co-accused freed of murder after 13 years in jail

Vybz Kartel

The king of Jamaican Dancehall, Vybz Kartel, and his co-accused have been freed after spending 13 years in jail for murder.

Jamaica Court of Appeal freed Kartel and his co-accused on Wednesday, July 31, ahead of Jamaica’s emancipation day celebration.

The court ruled that Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer and his co-accused namely Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell; Kahira Jones; and Andre St John should not be retry for the September 2011 murder of their associate Clive “Lizard” Williams.

The murder case had been remitted back to the appeal court by the Privy Council of Jamaica which also quashed the quartet’s earlier murder conviction.

Pointing out that there will be no retrial, the President of the Court emphasized the seriousness and prevalence of the alleged offense but noted that multiple factors combined militated against the necessity of a new trial.
Key among these factors was the prosecution’s insufficient and inadequate accounting for the availability of its witnesses.

Additionally, trial exhibits have either become unavailable or cannot be accounted for, presenting a significant hurdle in the pursuit of justice.
“The insufficient and inadequate account by the prosecution for the availability of its witnesses and trial exhibits are now unavailable or cannot be accounted for,” according to the judge.

The court also took into consideration the extensive resources already utilized during the initial trial.

“The four days utilized a significant share of the court’s and the appellant’s resources,” the president of the court observed, indicating that a new trial would demand a substantial share of these resources, including time and financial costs. He emphasized that this significant demand would be an undue burden on the justice system.

Moreover, the appellants have already spent 13 years in custody, a period marked by declining health conditions as evidenced by unchallenged medical reports.