News Americas, New York, NY, Weds. July 31, 2024. For the people asking, Where is Vybz Kartel Right Now?, there is news. The Jamaica Court of Appeal this afternoon, July 31, 2024, freed Jamaican dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel. His given name is Adidja Palmer. This after the court unanimously decided against ordering a retrial for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
FLASHBACK – Vybz Kartel in New York City, New York, United States in a past photo. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
The court also freed Kartel’s co-accused, Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St. John. The three-judge panel, consisting of Justices Marva McDonald-Bishop, Paulette Williams, and David Fraser, made the decision.
Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, President of the Court of Appeal, stated that despite the facts showing “barefaced defiance of law and order,” the court considered the lengthy time the men have been in custody and the psychological and health impact on the appellants if a new trial were ordered. Defense lawyers, particularly for Vybz Kartel, cited the artiste’s declining mental and physical health, including his diagnosis of Grave’s Disease.
In 2020, lawyers representing the quartet appealed to the local Court of Appeal, but their convictions were upheld. The appeal was then taken to the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, which overturned their murder convictions on March 14 due to juror misconduct. The Privy Council remitted the case back to the Jamaica Court of Appeal to decide on a retrial, which has now been denied.
Kartel and co-accused have never admitted to the murder charges for which they have been in prison for so long. Therefore, this comes as good news for Vybz Kartel, that the conviction was overturned.
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