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The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) has quashed the convictions of dancehall star Adidja Palmer, more popularly known as Vybz Kartel, and his co-accused, and ruled that the Court of Appeal of Jamaica should decide on the matter of a retrial. These are the key timelines in the case against Kartel.
September 30, 2011 – Vybz Kartel is arrested at a New Kingston hotel by members of the Flying Squad division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force and is charged with possession of a small quantity of marijuana confiscated in a hotel room where he was staying during the filming of his reality dating show Teacha’s Pet. He was later charged with the murder of 27-year-old businessman Barrington ‘Bossie’ Burton.
March 23, 2012 – He is granted bail for $3,000,000 after being denied on October 4, 2011, but remains in jail in connection to a second murder – that of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
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July 24, 2013 – Vybz Kartel is found not guilty of the murder of Barrington Burton but remains in custody pending second murder case.
November 18, 2013 – Trial for murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams begins in the Home Circuit Court with jury selection.
March 13, 2014 – Kartel and three co-accused are found guilty by an 11-member jury. A fifth defendant, Shane Williams, was acquitted. The 64-day trial, held in the Home Circuit Court, is said to be the longest in Jamaica’s history.
April 3, 2014 – Dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and the co-accused are sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. He is to serve a minimum of 35 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
April 3, 2020 – Exactly six years to the day, Vybz Kartel lost the appeal against his murder conviction. After a near two-year wait, the Court of Appeal handed down the judgment of the entertainer.
April 17, 2020 – The Court of Appeal allowed the appeals against sentences to the extent of taking account of time spent in custody awaiting trial. The period of imprisonment to be served by each appellant, before becoming eligible for parole, was reduced by two years and six months.
September 25, 2020 – Vybz Kartel and his co-accused granted conditional leave to go to the Privy Council in the United Kingdom to challenge their murder conviction.
February 14 and 15, 2024 – The appeal is heard by the Privy Council.
March 14, 2024 – The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council rules that the appellants’ convictions should be quashed on the ground of juror misconduct and that the case should be remitted to the Court of Appeal of Jamaica to decide whether to order a retrial of the appellants for the murder of the deceased.
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