Jamaican Dancehall Star Vybz Kartel Scores Major Victory In Murder Case

Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel, who has collaborated with everyone from JAY-Z to Rihanna, won his appeal in a London court on Thursday (March 14) over his conviction for the murder of an associate more than a decade ago. Kartel has been held a Jamaican jail since 2011 over the disappearance of his associate Clive “Lizard” Williams, whose body has never been recovered.

Kartel and three others—Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones and Andre St. John—were convicted in 2014 following a 64-day trial in Kingston, one of the longest in Jamaican history. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 35 years, although that term was later reduced on appeal to 32-and-a-half.

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In February, Kartel and his co-defendants filed their final possible appeal with the Privy Council in London, the final court of appeal in Jamaica and some other Commonwealth countries. Their appeals were allowed by the court, which means they could get a retrial.

Kartel has maintained his innocence since Williams’ disappearance. But during the trial, prosecutors provided what they deemed a key piece of evidence: a text message said to be sent from Kartel’s phone that claimed Williams had been chopped up into so many pieces his body would never be found.

Kartel and his co-defendants have filed appeals before. In 2017, they cited the impact of publicity on the fairness of the trial, among other things, but the appellate judges found no evidence to suggest publicity tainted the trial. Three years later, Jamaican lawmakers upheld the original verdict and dismissed appeals from all four men.