Jamaican dancehall star Adidja Palmer, popularly known as Vybz Kartel, has regained freedom after spending 12 years in jail.
Kartel and three other men—Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Andre St John, and Kahira Jones—were accused of the 2011 murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.
They were originally convicted in 2014 and sentenced to life in prison.
However, their convictions were overturned by the Privy Council in March 2024 due to juror misconduct, leading to an appeal on whether a retrial should take place.
On Wednesday, the Court of Appeal of Jamaica decided against a retrial, marking the end of a nearly 13-year legal battle that has gripped the country.
Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, the newly appointed President of the Court of Appeal, led the panel of judges that delivered the much-anticipated decision.
While Kartel, Campbell, and St John are now free men, Jones will remain in custody due to a sentence in an unrelated case.
Vybz Kartel shared a clip of himself celebrating his freedom with his wife on Wednesday night. In the X caption, he wrote: “Am out! Me and wifey.”
