Vybz Kartel Released From Prison After 13 Years In Jail Over Murder [Video]

Jamaican dancehall icon, Vybz Kartel has been released from prison after a court overturned his murder conviction in March, a court ruled today.

The 48-year-old artist was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 after his arrest in 2011 for the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams, whose body was never found.

After 13 years in prison, Vybz Kartel was set free on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, following a successful appeal.

Kartel and his co-accused, Shawn ‘Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John, will not face a new trial. The Court of Appeal made this unanimous decision yesterday.

Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop stated, as reported by Fox 5: “We conclude that the interest of justice do not require a new trial to be ordered for the appellants.”

She continued, as per Dancehall Mag: “We therefore make the following order: judgments and verdicts of acquittal are entered in relation to the appellants.”

She added: ‘That is it. The appellants are free.’

Vybz Kartel left the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston on Wednesday afternoon after the court ruling.

By his side was his fiancé, Turkish social worker Sidem Ozturk.

Dressed in white with an orange kerchief covering part of his face, Kartel made his way to a waiting limousine amid a crowd of people trying to get a glimpse of him and capture the moment.

Vybz Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, along with Andre St John, Kahira Jones, and Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, were charged with the murder of Williams in 2011 and convicted in 2014.

The initial trial against Kartel and the three co-defendants lasted just over two months before they were convicted on March 14, 2014.

In 2014, the 64-day trial – the longest in Jamaica’s history – sentenced the co-accused to life in prison.

St John and Kartel received a minimum of 35 and 30 years respectively, while Campbell and Jones received a minimum of 25 years.

Prosecutors argued that Williams was killed over missing guns and that Kartel had lured Williams to his home where he was beaten to death.

During the trial, Jamaican police testified they saw a text on Kartel’s phone stating that Williams’ body was turned to “mincemeat.” Williams’ body was never found.

One juror was accused of offering bribes to other jurors, and despite this allegation, the judge continued the trial instead of dismissing it.

This potential juror misconduct became the focal point of Kartel’s appeals process.

After hearing arguments for and against a retrial, the Court of Appeal reserved judgment last month and handed down their decision today, freeing Kartel.

At the time of his conviction, Kartel was one of Jamaica’s biggest artists, collaborating with stars like Rihanna, Missy Elliot, Busta Rhymes, and Pitbull.

Known by nicknames Worl’ Boss and Di Teacha, Kartel is credited as one of Drake’s biggest inspirations and continued to shape the dancehall genre, releasing music from prison, including the 2016 single “Fever.”

Watch the video below:

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